Caroline Pan
by Lady Archive
Summary: Their new baby was the only thing that kept the Pans going when Peter dissapeared, but she loves fun as much as her brother.  What happens when Peter reapears and offers to take Caroline to a place with more adventure than she ever imagined?
1. 1904: Memories

Author's Note: The original inspiration for this story came from the book but I have also drawn ideas from movies and the play of Peter Pan and a few original ideas. I'm not sure how regularly I will be posting, life and writer's block tend to work against me a lot. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Peter Pan_

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><p>Caroline stared out the window of the classroom, the young teacher would have preferred to eat her lunch alone but it would have been rude to turn down the invitation to eat with the other teachers in Miss Jones' room. Having all finished their meal the women had moved on to the latest gossip and talking about the pranks played on them by the more troublesome students and the great potential of the brighter ones. The talk about the students she would have been interested in, but the gossip bored Caroline too much to really pay attention. She just did not see the point of talking about every misfortune that befell the families of London. She absentmindedly fingered the lace on her quarter length sleeves watching birds fly high above the rooftops.<p>

_A twelve year old Caroline laughed in excitement as she spun around in circles high in the sky, letting the treetops tickle her bare feet as she glided over them. She could hear the ocean waves crash against the island's shore and the sweet smell of spring filled the air._

"Why, Miss Pan, what is that on your arm?" Miss Fulsom's crisp voice broke into Caroline's thoughts.

"What? Oh, you mean my scar?" She replied looking down to see she had accidentally moved the lace on her sleeve to reveal a long pink line that stretched across her outer arm, parallel with the end of the sleeve in the middle of her lower left arm.

_The clang of metal as the two blades collided seemed louder when her own blade was part of its source; Caroline had to use both hands to steady her sword against the force as the terrifying man was putting his full strength into each blow. As she tried to focus on the fight and keep her balance on the rocking ship she almost forgot he had another weapon, until he raised his right arm and a flash of silver in the moonlight caught her eye. Caroline tried to dodge as he slashed at her but she was not fast enough. A scream of pain escaped Caroline as she stumbled backward and fell clutching her left arm trying to ease the searing pain of the wound._

"I was climbing a tree when I was twelve years old and fell; a branch caught my arm on the way down." After thirteen years of telling it, the lie had become too easy. It irritated Caroline that she had been forced to tell it so many times, she wanted to tell the truth, to show she had not forgotten Neverland; that she would always remember and believe in it. Still, as much as she wanted to tell the truth, she knew it was not an option, grown women did not talk about pirates and fairies and a boy who would not grow up unless they wanted the next bit of local gossip to be about them being sent to an insane asylum.

"Well, I'm sorry about the scar but you ought not to have been in a tree in the first place. It's no place for a young lady." Caroline sighed inwardly as she heard the scolding tone that the older woman's students were all too familiar with. The twenty five year old knew she really should have seen this coming but what other choice did she have? None of these women would believe the truth.

"Really Miss Fulsom, Miss Pan said she climbed the tree when she was a girl, it's not as if she did it yesterday." Miss Jones piped in. "Few children can resist a good climbing tree." Caroline gave the woman a grateful smile, being the oldest teacher in the school Miss Jones was well respected among the staff and so never hesitated to give her own opinion on any issue. Caroline and the other younger teachers never dared to talk back to Miss Fulsom the way Miss Jones did.

"That's exactly why I say children need to be raised with more discipline." Miss Fulsom replied. "They simply don't understand that adults know what is best for them and they refuse to listen and do as they are told so they end up getting themselves into trouble." Caroline relaxed as the conversation shifted to the speech she and the other teachers had heard many times before, Miss Fulsom always brought up the need for stricter rules whenever the students were allowed to go outside and the teachers took their lunch together. "Why, just this morning I had a girl who, instead of practicing her needlework, decided to draw a picture of herself in bed and a boy above her."

"My word!" Miss Smith gasped in horror, her hand flying to her heart. "Who could have thought of something like that?"

"Surely, you must be mistaken." Miss Wyght replied. "I hate to imagine such ideas in the heads of our own students!"

Caroline did not miss the eagerness behind the two women's feigned dismay, they both wanted to know the name of the student, whose family would no doubt soon be the topic of tomorrow's gossip.

"See for yourself if I'm mistaken." Miss Fulsom said pulling a piece of paper out of her bag and putting it in the center of the table. "I didn't want to keep the foul thing but I doubt the Darlings will believe it without proof. Parents never want to believe their children's faults."

Caroline's eyes widened when she saw the drawing. For a moment all she could do was gape at it, the girl was in her bed as Miss Fulsom had described but the boy was what caught Caroline's attention. He was hovering above, not by much, perhaps only about an inch on the paper but it was clear that there was nothing but thin air holding him up. The artist had clearly meant to show the boy was no ordinary one since she had drawn him with wings. That along with the fact that he was suspended above the bed suggested he could fly.

_Caroline awoke in the middle of the night to see a pair of bright blue eyes staring at her. She would have thought they were her father's except for the fact that they were full of youth and lacked the sadness that always lingered in her father's eyes, however hard he tried to hide it. These were the same color and shape, yet they were so different, full of joy and innocence that had never known the pain that haunted both her parents._

It couldn't be, could it? The drawing was just a sketch, too basic to show any distinguishing features on either of the subjects. The boy in Caroline's mind did not have wings, but if the artist had only seen him briefly she might have just assumed he needed wings to fly.

"The girl, Miss…um…Darling, you said the name was? Did she give any explanation?" Caroline asked urgently, ignoring the surprised looks of the other women. She usually did not speak much with Miss Fulsom; everyone knew they both had very different ideas about children and how to teach them. Not to mention, Caroline never showed interest in the scandals in the school, which was still what most of the women were considering this drawing to be.

"She confirmed it was herself in her bed and that the other subject was 'a boy'." Miss Fulsom replied, clearly surprised by Caroline's question. "That is all the explanation I need."

"I've never seen a boy with wings." Caroline responded calmly, she knew she should not directly accuse the senior teacher of missing an important detail and jumping to conclusions but she was determined to have some answers. "Children don't think the way adults do, this could just be an innocent misunderstanding. If you don't feel it necessary to look further into the matter, tell me the girl's name and I will speak to her."

"There is nothing more to look into." Miss Fulsom said dismissively, Caroline could tell she did not want to continue the conversation but refused to give in. "The fact that the boy was drawn with wings is insignificant in comparison with the fact that not only was she not paying attention in class but this is what she decided to spend her time doing."

"Darling? Do you mean Wendy Darling?" Miss. Jones spoke before Caroline could respond. "I taught her last year. Such a sweet girl; had her head in the clouds a bit too often but I never would have expected something like this." It really was amazing how the woman knew just how to deal with every problem. She had given Caroline the information she needed, but in a perfectly polite way, not taking any side but just saying what she knew.

Just then the clock struck, signaling that it was time for the students to return to their lessons. Miss Fulsom would surely have asked this Wendy Darling to meet her after school, as much as she wanted to Caroline knew it would be inappropriate to show up at the meeting herself and the young woman really did not want Miss Fulsom present when she spoke with the girl considering the topic she had in mind. She would have to wait to speak with Wendy tomorrow.


	2. 1891: The Party

"Our little girl, twelve years old already." Mr. Pan's voice was soft as he greeted Caroline when she came down the stairs in her new dress made of blue silk with a purple sash around her waist and a matching bow on each sleeve and a lace collar. Caroline knew he and her mother were thinking about what happened to their first child at the same age but they were both doing their best, for her sake, to enjoy the day that was meant to be a happy one, so she pretended not notice the hint of sorrow in his tone and gave a shy smile.

"Don't you look lovely?" Her mother said beaming with a rare smile of genuine cheerfulness as she looked over her daughter. "The dress suits you well." Caroline was hardly surprised her mother would look to fashion to divert the family's attention from bad memories.

"You certainly are becoming quite a fine young lady." Her father agreed as the three of them entered the parlor.

Before Caroline could reply there was a knock at the door, a few moments later the maid announced that Caroline's cousin Martin and his wife Elizabeth had arrived. The two entered the parlor, Martin in a suit and Elizabeth wearing a gold colored silk dress. They lived nearby and visited often but Caroline always enjoyed their visits.

"Happy birthday, Caroline." Elizabeth said as they exchanged a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," Caroline replied, "it's so good to have you here today."

"But of course, we wouldn't miss such an important occasion." Martin said with a dramatic bow. "My word, I swear you've grown since we last saw you and you look perfectly splendid. I expect you've been catching the attentions of a few young gentlemen by now."

"Don't be silly," Caroline giggled at her cousin's words. "You saw me a few days ago; I doubt I could have grown at all in that time. As for boys, I've not even been twelve for a day so I'm much too young for that!"

A small smile played across Martin's face. "Just like Peter…" His voice trailed off at the end of the name as his gaze fell on his aunt and uncle, causing a regretful frown to replace his usual playful smile. Caroline kept her expression calm but inside she felt a burst of curiosity. She was like Peter? She had long since accepted that talking about her long-lost brother was too painful for her parents and so not a topic to be discussed in their home so he remained a mystery to Caroline. Only one maid, Ruth, had been employed by the family and whenever Caroline tried to bring Peter up all she talked about was how he used to play pranks on her. Somehow it had never occurred to Caroline that Martin had known the brother she had never met. Perhaps he could tell her more about him.

Martin awkwardly cleared his throat, glancing around as though searching for a way to change the subject. "Well, um, regardless…turning twelve is something to celebrate." Martin had slipped his hand in his pocket, a habit he had when he was feeling uncomfortable in a situation, but his expression brightened as he withdrew a small box from it. "I do hope you like our gift." He said handing the box to Caroline.

Caroline gave a quick glance to her parents who nodded their approval of her opening the gift, even if it was a bit early considering the other guests had not even arrived yet. She opened the box to reveal a silver circular locket with the name Pan engraved in the center of a floral design.

"I had suggested having your birthdate engraved but the smith who made it was in the jeweler's shop when I ordered it and he convinced me to use your last name instead." Martin explained in a somewhat rambling tone, apparently still clearly trying to distract from his earlier statement. "I assumed he would know best, considering he is the one making the jewelry ordered from that shop."

"It's beautiful." She breathed, gently taking it out of the box and put it on. The clasp gave her a little trouble but her mother quickly noticed and fastened it for her. "Thank you so much." She added giving each Martin and Elizabeth a quick hug. She could feel Martin relax in her embrace as he thought he had successfully avoided the sensitive topic his earlier statement might have brought, though in truth Caroline had not forgotten it and was already wondering how she could gently bring it up again. With that the five of them took their seats in the parlor and talked as they waited for the other guests.

It was not long before more guests arrived and Caroline was kept busy as she made sure to greet everyone as they arrived and talk with everyone as they enjoyed the birthday celebration, making sure to thank all of them for coming as her mother had instructed her. The house was filled with Caroline's friends, neighbors, and relatives and the girl was happy to be surrounded by all the people she cared about, but she had not forgotten her resolve to talk to Martin. She just needed to find somewhere private they could speak together, the guests would be used to the fact that Caroline was moving about the house playing a proper hostess so if they did not see her for a while then they would just assume she was busy elsewhere. Her parents were another matter, they rarely let her out of their sight for long, and they were the last people she wanted to know what she planned to discuss with her cousin.

Finally she found her chance; Martin and Elizabeth had gone outside to admire the garden. Caroline doubted Elizabeth would have much information to add to Martin's but there was no harm in her being present anyway. She made her way over to them, glad to see no one else was in the area, she would have a minute or two before her parents realized she had left the house as it was so full of guests and the two maids attending everyone.

"Martin, I was wondering if I could speak with you about something you mentioned earlier." Caroline had considered starting up a casual conversation and hoping to ease into the real topic but she feared she might lose her chance, there was no way she was risking upsetting her parents, especially on the occasion that was already hard for them and they were trying so hard to make her happy.

Martin exchanged a look with his wife before turning back to Caroline. "I should have known this would come up someday." He said and gestured toward a small bench nearby.

"I know Peter disappeared before I was born, but that's all I really know. Mother and Father are always so sad whenever he comes up so I can't ask them but I do want to know what he was like." She said as she took a seat and her cousin did the same and Elizabeth casually wandered a little farther away apparently wanting to give them some privacy. "No one knows what happened so I understand if that has to stay a mystery but I don't see why I should not know what my brother was like."

Martin nodded showing that he understood how she felt and would comply, though he paused a moment and seemed to consider what to say before he finally spoke. "Peter and I were very close, I was only a few years older than him so we still had the same interests and obviously we saw each other quite a lot." Martin began; his voice was quiet and thoughtful. Caroline realized that although he was not as obviously haunted by her brother's disappearance as her parents were it had still had an effect on him. "When we were boys he loved to think up adventures, and it hardly made a difference if they were real adventures like exploring remote parts of Kensington Gardens or imagined ones involving swordfights with phantom villains and meeting lots of fantastic creatures." A smile crept onto Martin's face as he reflected on some almost forgotten game he and his cousin had played in their childhood, and Carline could not help but feel a deep longing to have shared in such fun, but then Martin's smile faded as apparently more somber memories came to mind. "I still remember everything that happened the day we found out he was gone. I actually did not think much of it, I figured he had run off to some adventure and would be back by supper time. If anything, I was a little disappointed he had not invited me to come along. All that morning I figured the adults were just being silly worrying so much, true, it was strange that he left in the middle of the night but I just thought, Peter would do something like that - for all the evil enemies he could think up for our games he never seemed to show much concern about real dangers."

"Do you still think he will come back?" Caroline asked; the eagerness clear in her voice.

Martin looked at her; the sad look in his eyes was answer enough. "It's been twelve years, Caroline." He spoke softly, almost reluctantly. "I don't want to say we have to give up hope, but well…realistically…twelve years is a long time to go without so much as a hint. I think that's why it's so hard for your parents, they know it has been a long time but they can't give up hope. Not knowing is the worst thing to go through because they can't let the pain go, they can never move on because there is still a chance he's out there and might be found but as every year passes they know the chances are smaller yet they still have to keep waiting for news…be it good or bad."

There was silence for a moment, Caroline had not seen the conversation going in this direction; she had expected her cousin to just talk about before the disappearance, Peter's likes and dislikes, interests, personality, things like that. Still, this was more than she had known so she was grateful for it, and a little guilty for making Martin reawaken his own sadness.

"I'm sorry," Martin's apology took Caroline by surprise and she gave him a curious look. "I shouldn't be talking like this on your birthday."

"No, it really is all right." She assured him. "I asked you to tell me about him, I might not have known him but he's still my brother so I want to know about him." It was the only explanation she could offer as to why she was so curious about someone she had never met.

"You and he would have gotten along well." Martin replied, the statement was not a comforting one, if anything it only made her wish he had not disappeared even more, and Martin knew it. His tone made it sound more like something he needed to say despite the fact it would not help. "You are a lot like him, in appearance obviously, but more than that you both have the same spirit. I don't think I ever saw him truly unhappy and despite how hard it is for you living with the rest of us always haunted by a tragedy from before you were born – don't pretend it's not true, I know how your parents always want to keep an eye on you and we all tiptoe around subjects to avoid the memories and it cannot be easy for you – and yet you always seem so cheerful. You have always been a reminder that life goes on, a reason for your parents to still feel happy about something." The words seemed to be spilling out of Martin, words he had clearly thought on but never actually intended on voicing. Caroline was not sure how they made her feel, whether it was a burden or an honor to be a reason for her parents to look beyond their loss. He only fell silent when Elizabeth gently placed a hand on his shoulder, he and Caroline had been so caught up in their conversation that neither had noticed the young woman approach.

"This seems a rather weighty topic for a happy day." She said her voice kind but firm.

Martin nodded, "I can name all sorts of ways you are alike, but there is something different about you too that I can't quite identify as easily." He added rising from the bench, a playful smile spreading across his face. "I'll be sure to let you know when I have figured it out but for now you had best get back to your party." He concluded, his lighthearted tone managed to lift the somber mood that had fallen on them while his brisk, almost business-like manner made it clear the topic was to be set aside, at least for now.

It was clear she would not be hearing any more today, and though Caroline was a bit disappointed a part of her thought it might have been for the best. Elizabeth was right; they were supposed to be celebrating today after all. Besides, she had learned some things and that was all she had wanted. Caroline nodded and gave the two a grateful smile and made her way back inside the house to rejoin the party.


	3. 1891: Escape

Authors Note: I'll do my best to keep up with adding a new chapter each week, but school work enjoys taking up a lot of my time. Please review, I really love the Peter Pan stories and want to make this as good as possible. Also, I do not own _Peter Pan. _

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><p>Caroline made her way up the staircase to her bedroom, she had been too busy after her talk with Martin to give any real thought to everything her cousin had told her, making sure she talked to everyone who had come seeing to it that they were all enjoying themselves and thanking them for coming as well as for their generous gifts, making small talk, remembering all the important things going on in her relatives lives, making sure to mention them, and of course her grandmother had insisted on hearing Caroline sing, to make sure she was keeping up with her music lessons. She had been on her feet most of the afternoon, and even when her feet were given a break she still needed to focus on her duties to her guests, all the while mentally caught between wanting to make her parents proud by being a perfect young lady and wanting to hear more about her lost brother or at least have some time to think over the information she had been given. Now however, all the guests had left leaving the large Pan home quiet as their two maids brought all the tea cups, plates, and drink glasses to the kitchen to be cleaned, her parents had settled themselves in the parlor, Mrs. Pan working on her embroidery and Mr. Pan reading one of his books. They would stay awake for another hour or so but the twelve year old was looking forward to the comfort of her bed.<p>

Caroline quickly changed into her nightgown and struggled with the clasp of the necklace Martin had given her, finally she gave up and was too tired to go back downstairs and ask for help so she decided to leave it on for the night and climbed into bed. Unfortunately her mind paid little heed to how tired she was as it swirled with thoughts about everything Martin had told her. She wondered what it could mean for someone to be missing for so long without even the tiniest hint of what happened. Was it better to have nothing than to find some evidence that meant there was no hope? Eventually her weariness won out and she drifted into an uneasy sleep.

The creaking of a hinge woke the girl though she stubbornly refused to open her eyes, insisting it was just one of the maids checking to see if anything needed tidying up in the upstairs rooms or her parents going to bed. However, the fact that she could usually recognize the distinct sound of almost every door in the house, especially the ones that were close enough to be heard from her room nagged at the back of her mind insisting that she could not name which door that sound came from. It was not until a breeze of cool night air passed over her that she remembered opening the window a crack the previous morning to let in some fresh air and realized she had forgotten to close it before going to bed.

She frowned as she debated whether to get up and close it, the room tended to get a bit stuffy but her parents always insisted she keep the window closed at night, even in the summertime. _"It's safer that way"_ was the only explanation she was given and it was always accompanied by that sad, mournful look exactly like the one they wore whenever they were reminded of Peter. The thought of making her parents cross with her on the day after her birthday was not an appealing one so she resigned herself to get up and close it. She opened her eyes and gasped as a sight that made her completely forget the window met her gaze. A pair of bright blue eyes were staring at her, the same color and shape as her father's but they were full of youth and joy; things she had never seen in her father's eyes, they were free from all the pain and worry of her parent's eyes. She supposed a better description would be that they resembled her own eyes, but the idea of her own eyes staring at her was not something Caroline wanted to imagine. Slowly, she stopped staring into the eyes to take in the face surrounding them. It was a boy's face, with her mother's nose, another unnerving trait the face shared with Caroline. The short sandy blond curls, at least, were not a perfect match for Caroline's own long curly brown locks though they did resembled what the girl imagined her mother's would look like if she cut it to the same short length of the boy's.

A part of Caroline knew she should do something; call for her parents maybe, after all a complete stranger had somehow managed to get into their house and was now in her bed chamber. Yet, she was almost hypnotized by the sense that there was something familiar about the boy, aside from his strange resemblance to herself and her parents. Then suddenly she remembered seeing a family portrait that had been hung in one of the spare rooms of the house, it had been painted a year or two before Peter's disappearance and therefore included him, her parents had wanted to keep it but as time went on it became a reminder of their pain so they moved it to where they would not constantly see it but could still keep a memory of him. The boy before her now resembled the one in that painting exactly.

"Peter?" Caroline gasped as she moved to sit up, slowly so the boy could move back. His movement was strange, almost too smooth, and he was now standing at the foot of Caroline's bed. How had he managed to stretch the whole length of her bed without leaning on the bed itself? Few, if any, grown men were tall enough to do that, much less a young boy, and Caroline was sure she would have felt it if he had been leaning on the bed.

"How do you know my name?" He asked before Caroline could voice her own question.

"I have been told about you, and there is a portrait with you in it." It was only then that Caroline remembered her parents and realized she really should wake them now; they would want to know right away that their son had returned! She jumped out of her bed ready to run to her parents room already thinking about how her parents would no longer be so sad and imagining the four of them together, finally a happy family after all these years. _All these years,_ the words echoed in Caroline's thoughts causing her to stop and turn back towards the boy as her excitement vanished. "But it can't be you," she said walking around the bed to get a better look at the boy. "You're too young."

"Too young…for what?" The boy asked, obviously confused by the idea of his youth preventing him from being anything or anyone.

"You can't be the Peter I thought you were," she explained, he had said his name was Peter, but that was a common enough name that someone other than her lost brother could have it. "I thought you were Peter _Pan_ because you look like him but he would be much older by now, you look nearly the same age as he was in the painting."

"I am Peter Pan; I decided not to grow up so I could always be a boy and have fun." He answered proudly.

"All children grow up, you can't just decide you don't want to and stop just like that." Caroline replied and paused a moment taking in the boy in front of her. He looked _exactly_ like her brother, everything except his clothes were almost a perfect match. Instead of the suit he wore in the painting the boy before her wore clothes made of skeleton leaves. Also, what were the chances of another Peter Pan wandering into her room? "It simply is not possible…is it?"

Peter heard the curiosity and hint of eagerness in her voice and a broad smile crossed his face. "I managed it!" He said proudly. "All you have to do is go to Neverland, nobody grows any older there."

"Really? I've never heard of Neverland, where is it?" Caroline asked.

Peter pointed out the window at two stars in the sky. "Second to the right, and straight on till morning." He told her. "I could take you if you like." Then he paused for a moment seeming to study Caroline, she could not help but wonder if he had noticed the similarities of their appearances. "What is your name?" He asked.

"Caroline…Pan." She answered keeping her voice clear especially for her last name as a mixture of excitement and nervousness crept over her. Peter's expression turned curious and he opened his mouth to say something when suddenly a small golden light darted into the room making a sound that reminded Caroline of tiny bells.

"There you are, Tinkerbell!" Peter said happily as the light landed on his shoulder. Now that it was still, Caroline could see that the light was in fact a tiny person, a girl, with delicate sparkling wings. She was clearly staring at Caroline, unfortunately the dim light of the room made it difficult to make out the expression of the small features.

"A fairy." Caroline breathed as the fairy, Tinkerbell, finally turned to Peter and made more of the bell sounds.

"She says her name is Caroline Pan." Peter said to the fairy, evidently able to understand what she was saying. At his answer Tinkerbell left his shoulder and flew to hover a few inches in front of Caroline and after a moment of studying her Tinkerbell made more tinkling sounds that seemed to be addressed to Caroline. The twelve year old gave Peter a questioning look.

"She wants to know if we are related." He translated.

"Well…my parents had a son named Peter Pan but he disappeared before I was born. No one knows what happened." Caroline replied. "I have seen a painting with my brother in it, and as I said before, you match it perfectly."

Tinkerbell quickly flew back to Peter and said something to him. Caroline could not help but marvel at Peter's ability to understand the chiming sound that was apparently the fairy's language. _Could he live with fairies?_ Caroline wondered, he had said he went to a place called Neverland where no one grew up; such a place had to be full of magic.

"I have a sister?" Peter asked quietly, it sounded more like a response to something Tinkerbell had said than a question for Caroline so she decided to wait patiently rather than respond. A few more chimes from Tinkerbell followed with a few whispered replies from Peter. Caroline tried to figure out exactly what was being said but it was difficult as she could only understand one side of the conversation. The twelve year old felt herself growing anxious, wondering what they could be talking about and how Peter would react to the fact that he had a sister. As she watched the boy in front of her talking with the fairy, his youthful face illuminated by the golden glow that seemed to emanate from Tinkerbell Caroline realized she ought to be more skeptical than she was. As soon as Peter claimed he was Peter Pan and said he had found a way to stop growing up she had believed he was her long lost brother, but what if he was not, what if this was a dream? Somehow though she was sure that he was real she had always loved stories of magic and adventure so maybe she just wanted to believe in fairies and places where no one grew up but there was more to it than that, something she could not explain told her this was her brother and he was really here.

"So, I suppose we are brother and sister." Peter said now addressing Caroline. "What happens now?"

For some reason the question brought Caroline's parents back to mind. _How could I have forgotten them?_ She thought guiltily. "Mother and Father will be so happy to have you back. We should wake them." She said turning to the door when she realized Peter's smile had vanished and he was turning to the window.

"What's wrong?" She asked him; surely he would want to see their parents again.

"They'll make me grow up. I don't want to be a man, that's why I left in the first place." He told her firmly, wearing a stubborn expression that made it clear he had no intention of staying for a family reunion.

"Well…if you feel that way about it…we don't have to tell them…I suppose." She said hesitantly, feeling terribly guilty about what she was saying. It was selfish but she wanted to get to know Peter more, even if that meant keeping his return a secret from her parents._ Well, they would just become even more saddened if they knew he had been here but they lost him again, and it would not be fair to force him to stay as he feels so strongly against growing up._ She reasoned with herself, the idea did help ease her conscience, in addition to not wanting to cause her parents more pain she realized she was not sure she could bear the thought of living in a house filled with more sorrow than it already was.

"Good." Peter replied, apparently satisfied with her response as he returned to the cheerful attitude he had before.

"What's Neverland like?" Caroline asked after a moment of awkward silence.

Peter smiled; clearly pleased by the topic Caroline had chosen. "It's full of adventure and fun," he answered, "with fairies and pirates and mermaids and Indians."

It sounded perfect, and Caroline could not help a smile spread across her face as she imagined such a place. "You said it was…out there," she replied gesturing out the window towards the stars he had pointed to before. Caroline was not entirely sure if he had been serious about it being in the stars but she could believe it considering everything else he had said about the place. "How do you get to it, then?" She asked.

"Fly." Peter answered simply, as if such a thing were completely normal, and as if to prove just how normal it was for him he began to rise off the floor and hovered a foot or two in the air.

"Fly?" Caroline echoed, amazed at what she was seeing. Peter must have heard the longing in her voice as his smile grew and seemed just a little mischievous.

"Would you like to see it yourself?" He asked in a voice that suggested he knew the answer.

"Could I?" She felt excitement bubble inside her, only to stop as she thought of what she was doing. Did she want to run away too? Could she really go away and never see her family again? But Peter was her family too; surely a brother and sister had a right to be together. And Neverland sounded so wonderful, a chance to escape a life haunted by the past. Yes, she wanted to go, and just because Peter never wanted to come back did not mean she would feel the same, it was not abandoning her parents it was just taking a vacation where she could enjoy being a child without any worries at all. "I would like to see it very much." She said.

"Then you'll need Pixie Dust." He said, looking over at Tinkerbell. The fairy seemed to pause a moment staring thoughtfully at Caroline. Finally she gave a small nod, apparently reaching a conclusion to whatever she had been considering and began to fly in a circle around Caroline, surrounding the girl in a trail of golden dust until finally hovering above her head and letting more dust fall catching in her wavy hair and settling on her shoulders. "Now just think lovely thoughts that lift you up." Peter told her.

Caroline closed her eyes in concentration. _I'm going to a magical place. I'm going to _fly_ there with my brother. I'll get to know him, no more wondering; I'll have met him and spent time with him myself. I shall just have fun, just being myself in Neverland without being a reminder of what's lost._ She could feel it working, her body was becoming almost lighter but her feet were still on the ground. _Just a little more,_ she told herself and thought about when she was younger and Martin and Elizabeth, who were only courting when Caroline was little, would play with her, acting out fantastic stories. During those games she never felt like anything was missing from her life or that she had to be serious and somber because her parents were, she felt like a child and loved every minute of it. That was when she realized she could no longer feel the carpet under her feet. She opened her eyes slowly, as if seeing it too quickly might break the spell, and found she was now at the same level as Peter; Caroline glanced down to see her feet dangling below her with nothing but her happy thoughts holding her up.

"This is amazing!" She beamed, rising a few inches higher.

"You still have not seen Neverland, yet." Peter laughed. A surge of excitement filled Caroline at his words, she had been lost in the feeling of freedom and weightlessness flying had given her but flying was just the first part, there was still adventure and enchantment in Neverland to look forward to. Waving his hand indicating that Caroline should follow him, Peter glided out the window with Tinkerbell beside him.

Caroline glided after them but hesitated for a moment above the window frame, flying about her room was one thing but outside the window was a two story drop to the London street, and she knew going through the window was a major step, it meant leaving behind the world she knew. Echoes of all her parents' warnings about never going far from home without an adult and never doing anything that was even the slightest bit dangerous, somehow flying to a place she had never heard of seemed to break every rule her parents had ever set. Her toe brushed the cushioned bench that was in front of the window as fear replaced happy thoughts. _No!_ She told herself sternly. _I want to go! Mother and Father's worries won't hold me back, not from this._ She let her childhood memories with her cousin and the hope that she could have that again, with her brother this time, fill her and she rose high enough to clear the windowsill. Before thoughts of her parents and the feelings of worry and pain she associated with them could creep in she glided outside and came up to Peter and Tinkerbell who had noticed her pausing and waited for her to catch up. She smiled encouragingly at their curious expressions.

"I just needed to remind myself what I have to look forward to in Neverland." She explained.

Peter smiled and gave a nod of understanding, though Caroline could not help but wonder if he really knew what she meant or if he imagined she was just thinking about the amazing things that populated Neverland. But before she could decide which it was he took off and she followed close behind, getting lost in the sky did not seem enjoyable. Soon the three were soaring above the rooftops of London, ready to leave the city behind where a world of adventure awaited them.


	4. 1891: Neverland Welcome

Sorry this chapter took so long but now that I am on break I will hopefully be able to keep up with my writing more. Please review and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Peter Pan_

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><p>Caroline's mind was swirling with thoughts about what was happening and all the questions she had ever had about her brother as they soared through the sky. She also found that new questions were coming to her mind as well but could hardly decide where to start and was simply too thrilled by the experience of flying to talk about anything. They soared high above the city into the night sky, Caroline staying close behind Peter and Tinkerbell flying beside Peter's head. The two of them seemed unfazed by the breathtaking view which made Caroline wonder how often they had visited London. She hardly knew where to look, she could recognize most of the major buildings and parks and gardens but they all looked so different from so high above.<p>

Tinkerbell said something to Peter who nodded and reached out his hand to Caroline. "Time to see Neverland," he told her. Caroline took his outstretched hand giving him a questioning look. "Hold on tight, this is going to be fast." Caroline barely had time to register the nervous excitement bubbling inside her at the grin spreading on Peter's face when he turned his to look straight ahead and she was jerked forward as he pulled her at an incredible speed. As soon as she felt the movement the twelve year old instinctively shut her eyes, partly exhilarated as she felt how fast they were flying but too terrified to open her eyes and see the world zooming past her.

She only opened her eyes when they came to a stop and she heard Peter laughing, accompanied by peals of bells that seemed to mean Tinkerbell was giggling as well.

"It's not that scary." Peter grinned, apparently having guessed why Caroline had her eyes closed.

"It was my first time." Caroline tried to defend herself as she felt herself blushing. "You must have been at least a little unnerved the first time you did that."

Peter seemed to think for a minute. "Every time I remember I thought it was fun, I don't remember the first time specifically."

_How many times has he come to London?_ Caroline wondered, the thought reminding her of one of the questions she thought of while they were flying. However, before she could speak, the scenery caught her eye. They were floating above an island that seemed to be covered in a thick forest and surrounded by a clear blue ocean that went on as far as Caroline could see.

"Come on, I'll show you around." Peter said, gliding down towards the shore.

"Peter," Caroline began, knowing if she waited any longer this amazing island would distract her from ever remembering the question she wanted to ask. "If you did not want to see Mother and Father, why did you come back to the house?"

"I was just exploring when I passed the house." Peter replied, spinning around to face her while continuing to glide forward. "The window was open; it wasn't open last time, so I went to look inside."

"Last time?" Caroline asked. "Do you mean you have come to the house before?"

Before Peter could respond Tinkerbell began to make hurried chimes that sounded like she was saying something urgent. Unable to understand the fairy Caroline turned to Tinkerbell and followed where she was pointing to. A ship had appeared from around the other side of the island, they were too far to see anyone distinctly but Caroline could tell the crew was running around busily and it seemed their course was headed directly for the two children in the sky. It was then that Caroline remembered Peter mentioning something about pirates.

"Come on, let's go!" Peter said. Caroline did not wait to follow Peter but headed straight for the island. The realization that they would actually be in real danger in Neverland was making it harder for Caroline to fly.

"What do those men want?" Caroline's voice trailed off as she realized Peter was not on the beach. "Peter?" Turning back to the ocean she could see the ship and darting through the air was the figure of a boy. "Peter!" She ran out into the water but she had only gone far enough for the water to reach her knees when Caroline realized there was nothing she could do. Her thoughts were anything but happy so flying was out of the question and the ship was too far away for her to swim. "What are you doing?" She said softly. Why had Peter gone _to_ the pirates?

"Peter's just having a bit of fun with Hook." Caroline spun around at the unfamiliar voice. A boy had emerged from the forest wearing animal skins with a bow and quiver slung across his back. He had tousled brown hair with a few leaves caught in it. "Don't worry; he can handle the old codfish," the boy added with a reassuring smile.

"Who are you?" Caroline asked; the boy seemed friendly enough but she thought it best to be careful considering a ship full of sword brandishing pirates had been her initial welcome to Neverland. "And how do you know Peter?"

"My name's Jaunty. I'm one of the Lost Boys, Peter's our leader so we've all gone on lots of adventures," he replied. "And who are you?"

"I'm Caroline Pan. Wha-" She answered.

"So that explains how you got here," Jaunty said quietly as soon as he heard her name. "You do look a lot like him," he added under his breath. "So you're Peter's…sister?" He asked, actually addressing her now. "It's odd thinking of him having relatives, he seems like he just belongs here, but I suppose it makes sense. The rest of us had parents and maybe siblings before we got Lost."

"Yes, Peter is my brother." She said walking back to the beach realizing she had gotten the skirt of her nightgown soaking wet. She was going to have to ask what he meant about getting lost and who the other boys he had mentioned were but for now she was still concerned about what Peter was doing. "What did you mean by saying Peter's 'having a bit of fun with Hook?' Does that happen often?" She pointed towards the ship; the shouting was now loud enough to be heard from the beach.

"Sure, fighting pirates is usually part of the best adventures." Jaunty explained cheerfully.

Caroline looked back out at the ocean when the sound of gunshots started. "Why are the pirates here? I didn't see any towns or anything they could pillage."

"Grown-ups can't fly, not sure how they got here in the first place but they are so leaving is not all that simple I guess. Peter's the only one who could know how they came in the first place but I doubt he remembers." Jaunty explained. "Besides Captain Hook hates Peter, he won't leave without revenge."

"Captain _Hook_ wants revenge?" Caroline questioned, wondering could make someone hate a child that much and curious about the pirate's name.

"Peter cut off his hand, pretty soon after they met I think, so he replaced it with a hook." Jaunty explained, holding up his right hand with his finger bent to demonstrate the pirate's replacement hand.

"Oh my!" Caroline gasped.

"Peter didn't plan to do it or anything, Hook started the fight," the boy added hastily. "Peter's always eager for an adventure to be sure, but he wouldn't do a thing like for nothing. Course that hasn't stopped the old pirate from blaming Peter, especially after the crocodile ate his hand and has been looking for another bite ever since."

For a moment Caroline could only stare at the boy as she processed everything he was telling her. She shook her head a little in an attempt to clear her mind, she was worried about Peter fighting a ship full of pirates even if he did have Tinkerbell with him and Jaunty seemed confident that he would be fine but she was also being given so much information to think about.

"There must be something…I mean; we can't just stand here while Peter's on that ship." She said deciding to focus on the issue at hand and ask questions about Neverland once they were all safe later.

Jaunty stepped up beside her shading his eyes to get a better look at the activity on the ship. "They sent out some patrols earlier so they haven't got the whole crew on board to fight," he said. "A few are in the water; the crew will want to get them back in the ship before the mermaids get to them."

"I'm starting to wish Peter told me more about this place before we came." Caroline murmured.

"It's not the sort of place you can explain quickly." Jaunty shrugged. "Neverland is a place for fun and adventure so it's hard to go anywhere on the island without finding something interesting."

"I'm starting to understand that." Caroline replied. The two continued to stand on the beach, Jaunty's cheerful composure helped ease some of Caroline's worry but she could not completely relax until they saw Peter flying towards them.

"Hello, Peter." Jaunty said happily.

"Hello, Jaunty." Peter grinned as he landed on the beach to join them. "How has everything been while I was gone?"

"Had a run in with some pirate scouts, they still think the hideout's on the other side of the island." Jaunty answered with a shrug. "Otherwise it's been a quiet morning."

Peter just nodded at this news then turned to Caroline. "You missed out on the fun. Was the pixie dust wearing off?" He asked. Tinkerbell responded to this with a series of chimes that sounded somewhat annoyed at the idea of the pixie dust wearing off.

"Actually the trouble was that my happy thoughts faded." She explained feeling a little embarrassed seeing how eager the two boys were for battles with pirates.

"Do you know how to fight?" Peter asked, sounding as if it had only just occurred to him that his sister may not have been prepared for the dangers of his home.

"Well, no. England is civilized so it's not as if people in London go about dueling one another on the streets. No one bothers to teach respectable children how to fight pirates, certainly not girls."

"So what do they teach children in London?" Jaunty asked.

"How to be frightfully bored but look perfectly charming whenever grown-ups come to call." She answered, Caroline might have been a bit unnerved by her welcome to Neverland but her opinion of life back in London had not changed.

"Well then, we shall teach you." Peter said confidently.

Caroline stared off at the ship still in the distance. She probably could ask Peter to take her back, she would be safe in her pretty nursery room, but despite now that her initial fright had faded she was still eager to have a real adventure. "I should like that very much." She said with a smile.

"Well Miss Pan, if you have as much of your brother's skills as you do his looks those pirates ought to be quaking at the idea of facing you two together." Jaunty laughed.

"But first you must see our hideout and meet the rest of the Lost Boys." Peter said with a nod to Tinkerbell. The fairy flew around Caroline and Jaunty leaving a swirling trail of pixie dust around each. Once they had their happy thoughts they rose up and Caroline followed the two boys flying low though the treetops, eager to see what this hideout would be like.


	5. 1904: A Small Offering

Here is a new chapter. I have the general outline of the story planned out but I'm still working out some of the details of the following chapters so it might be a while before I post something new. In the meantime feedback of any kind is greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, places, etc. from _Peter Pan_

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><p>Caroline walked along the street still trying to decide what exactly she planned to do. All she knew was that she needed to do something to ease the pain she knew this family was going through. Miss Fulsome had made a point of mentioning that young Wendy Darling had not come to class the day after her drawing had been discovered and another teacher responded by pointing out that none of the Darling children had come to school. Caroline was somewhat disappointed with this news as it meant she would have to wait to speak with Wendy but it confirmed her theory about the inspiration for the girl's drawing. She was not surprised to learn that they still had not returned the following day, however as the days went on the new gossip did begin to cause her some concern.<p>

_"Have you been to the bank?" Was the question nearly everyone at the school was asking. "Mr. Darling has taken to going about in their dog's kennel!" "Yes, I've seen him being carried to work in it. He blames himself for the children's disappearance, regretting a quarrel he had with the children and putting the dog outside the night they disappeared." _Caroline had tried to ignore the concern this had caused her, it was not her concern, she ought to just wait and see what happened. Still, the fact that the children might have left on bad terms with their parents was constantly tugging at the back of her mind.

Now her worry had brought her to this street and she finally reached house number 14 so Caroline made her way up the front steps but she hesitated to knock. She was still having trouble deciding what exactly she was going to say, at least she had shown sense enough to buy a bag of fresh fruits, people responded to visitors better if they brought something to offer, yet even as she stood on their doorstep Caroline was not entirely sure she was doing the right thing or even how she should go about it. Still, she had come all this way and standing at the door would only result in her looking like a fool to anyone who happened to notice her. So finally she knocked on the door and was somewhat surprised at how quickly it was swung open by a servant girl. Caroline was certain she caught the maid's smile fade as the girl registered who was at the door, or perhaps it was who was _not_ there that disappointed her. _The ones you are hoping for won't arrive through the door._ Caroline thought, the maid's reaction reinforcing her belief that she was right to come.

Caroline had barely finished her thought before the maid composed herself and remembered her responsibilities. "Good afternoon, ma'am." She greeted Caroline with a polite nod of her head.

"Good afternoon. My name is Caroline Pan; I'm a teacher at the school the children of the house attend. I apologize for coming unannounced but I should like to speak with Mrs. Darling."

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but Mrs. Darling does not wish to entertain callers what with…" the maid trailed off as if unsure exactly what to say.

"I understand," Caroline replied, deciding to save the maid the trouble of deciding how much to tell her. "I am fully aware of the Darling's troubles, in fact that is why I wish to see Mrs. Darling, my parents went through something very similar and I wanted to offer my sympathies personally."

"I'm not sure-"

"Liza," a gentle voice interrupted the maid. "I think it will do some good to accept this caller."

The maid, Liza, stepped aside revealing a woman who Caroline assumed to be Mrs. Darling. Despite looking as if she had missed a few nights of proper sleep she was still very pretty with a sweetness about her that made Caroline feel she would like this woman. A Newfoundland dog stood close behind the woman. When Caroline stepped inside the Newfoundland hurried up to her at first the dog like any other, sniffing at her skirts, bag and hands when suddenly the began barking at her.

"Nana," the woman said coming down the stairs. "The young lady is a guest."

"It's all ri- oh!" Caroline tried to ease the woman when the large hound jumped up to rest her paws on Caroline's stomach.

"Nana! Down!" Liza scolded pulling the Newfoundland away from Caroline. "If you can't behave with company you shall have to go upstairs." Caroline was quite surprised to see Nana obediently return up the stairs to another room.

"I do apologize," Mrs. Darline told her. "Nana has never acted like that before, I can't imagine what got into her."

"It's quite all right." Caroline assured her somewhat distractedly. The dog's reaction to her had planted an idea in her head that she had never occured to her before. "I expect she is effected by...recent events. Pets often are quite fond of their families, especially the children who will play with them the most." Caroline did not want to talk about the children's departure too bluntly but she had never been very good at ignoring her curiosity.

"Perhaps you are right." Mrs. Darling nodded. "Nana is more than a pet, she is a nurse who has lost her charges. I know it is a bit unorthadox but she really is a fine nurse." Mrs. Darling added when she saw saw Caroline's eyes widen at the mention of Nana being the nurse, misreading the reaction to be in surprise at the idea of a dog being a nurse.

"I assure you, I have seen far stranger things. I do not doubt she is completely capable of her duties." Caroline said. "Which would make the situation even harder for her."

"She has been good company for me," Mrs. Darling replied. "She's stayed with me in the nursery every day."

_Plenty of time to pick up on even the smallest scent_ Caroline thought, _I wonder if family members share some smell not even the most magical land in existence can erase. _She liked the idea but there she had come here for a reason and she had delayed enough as it was. "I know it is not much but I did not want to come empty handed." Caroline said offering the bag of fruit. Liza accepted the bag and hurried off to the kitchen with it as Caroline followed Mrs. Darling to the parlor.

"You said your family experienced something similar, Miss Pan, you said your name was?"

"Yes, with both my brother, before I was born, and –I'm sorry to say it –myself." Caroline answered, a little surprised by how open she was being. _Best watch what you say, _she reminded herself, _tell her too much and she might disregard everything you say as the fantasies of a mad woman._

"And you both returned home, I take it?" Mrs. Darling asked, her demeanor suddenly transforming with eagerness.

"I came to offer hope, Mrs. Darling, not promises." Caroline replied, keeping her voice kind but firm, the last thing she wanted was to set the woman up for disappointment. "I returned home but my parents have not seen my older brother since he was twelve years old." Caroline knew she was being a little cryptic, choosing to leave out the fact that she had seen him after his disappearance not to mention that he would still appear twelve years old to anyone who saw him.

"I see." Mrs. Darling replied softly, all her weariness and worry returning. "Might I ask for more details about what happened? How is it you had different fates?"

Caroline paused; she was not convinced that telling this woman about Neverland was wise. She did not know how much Mrs. Darling knew about the method of her children's departure nor how much she would be willing to believe. "I'm afraid it's a rather long and complicated story, but I can tell you as much as is important for you and your husband to know." Mrs. Darling nodded, accepting that Caroline would not give her all the information she wanted but seeming content to accept whatever she could get. Caroline just hoped it would be enough to give the family the strength to keep going no matter what happened. "What I know of my parents before my brother disappeared I was told by other family members. They were always thinking of the future back then, looking to get their son the best education, socializing in circles that offered ideal connections, hosting parties, and so on. I believe that pressure became too much for my brother, who wanted nothing else but to enjoy his childhood to the fullest, so he ran away."

"We were discussing moving Wendy out of the nursery." Mrs. Darling spoke quietly as if more to herself than Caroline.

"After that they became the way I knew them: haunted by their loss, I grew up in a house that seemed locked in a tragedy of the past. That is almost as hard on a child as being pushed to grow up too fast, so I followed my brother to escape that life. And I stayed away for some time, enjoying the release from grown up concerns, just going from one little adventure to the next." Subconsciously Caroline's hand rested on her arm just where her scar was. Luckily she wore a long sleeve dress today so the gesture went unnoticed by Mrs. Darling. There was nothing the Darlings could do to protect their children from Neverland's dangers so Caroline reasoned that it was pointless to give them more cause for worry by mentioning pirates, wild beasts, or entrancing mermaids. "My brother found a place that is made of children's dreams and that is where I went and I believe your children are there now. It's easy to forget the grown up world in a place like that, but all it takes is a small reminder. I can't say how long it will take but it is very likely something will make them think of you, your husband, or perhaps even your dog eventually. That will happen on its own time and how long it will take them to decide to return depends entirely on them, but what they find when they return is up to you and that will make all the difference."

"I don't understand, what do you mean 'what they find?'" Mrs. Darling asked her eyes wide with interest in what Caroline had told her.

"Make sure what they find tells them you are waiting for them, not replacing or forgetting them. I'm sorry to say children who visit this place develop something of a double standard, even though they forget things they expect to be remembered. Keep the beds as if you expect your children to sleep in them tonight and every night. Let their toys and other little treasures stay in the nursery, in chests or dressers or on their night tables, wherever they are normally kept. And most importantly: keep the window open."

"We have not moved anything and their beds are aired every night, and the window has been left open since that is the way they left it, but why do you say that is most important?" The woman replied.

Caroline smiled a little to hear these parents had the right instincts of how to handle their situation; perhaps there were grown-ups who had not completely forgotten childhood. "Because that is the first thing they will see, they will return the way they left and I believe I am right to guess they did not simply walk out the front door."

"Nana ran straight upstairs to the nursery, as if she expected them to be there." Mrs. Darling said thoughtfully.

"If they left through the nursery window they will want to return through the same window." Caroline told her. "That is what I did, and while it is impossible to know what might have happened if circumstances had been different I do know that seeing the window barred and a new babe in his bed is one of the few things that has been imprinted in my brother's memory of the home and family he left behind." With that Caroline rose to her feet. "I am glad to see you seem to have known what to do without my help and I hope what I have said will help you continue to do so. But I think I had best go home myself, I've told you everything I can."

Mrs. Darling nodded; she looked as if she did not entirely believe Caroline was incapable of telling her more but she apparently could see Caroline's resolve not to explain things any farther. "I will see you out." She said rising from her chair and leading Caroline to the door.

"Thank you for coming, Miss Pan. I do appreciate your advice." Mrs. Darling said once they were in the threshold.

"I'm sorry advice is all I can offer, and I hope things will work out for the best." Caroline replied, she felt certain that whenever –if ever –the Darling children returned they would be able to determine what they were meant to do but she could still hope that whatever happened it would not cause too much pain for the family.


	6. 1891: Introductions

Sorry for the long wait, I will try to keep up with this story better this summer. Thanks for your patience and as always reviews are greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Peter Pan._

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><p>They flew swiftly over the trees, Caroline growing more and more amazed by Neverland every moment. Once she had become used to flying she found she not only did not mind looking down but was actually enjoying it. She caught a few glimpses of various animals as she peered through the treetops they soared over. The forest itself was wonderful; the leafy canopy was comforting beneath her while underneath she knew there were countless adventures waiting for her.<p>

When they were nearing a large old tree the boys and Tinkerbell began to descend back to the ground with Caroline following their lead. She looked around, wondering where the hideout could be. The area looked exactly like any other section of forest; there was nothing to suggest a house of any kind.

"Welcome to our home under the ground." Jaunty announced, gesturing around them.

"I don't understand," Caroline replied, "how do you get in if it's underground?"

"We use hidden entrances," Peter answered beckoning her to follow him towards a hollow tree. "Look there," he pointed into the hollow base of the trunk.

At first Caroline thought it was just an ordinary space inside a tree but as her eyes focused on the area Peter was pointing to she understood what was so special. Towards the back of the trunk, just big enough for a child to fit in was a space too dark to just be the shadowed section inside the tree. It had to be a tunnel, an entrance. Caroline stared wide eyed at the secret passage. "No wonder the pirates haven't found you," she murmured remembering what Jaunty had said about pirate scouts trying to find where they lived.

"This slide should fit you," Peter said peering into the hollow part of the tree.

"You mean," Caroline began, feeling a little wary, "you have to _slide_ there, down that little space?" The tunnel looked so small, and if the entrance was already that darkened by shadow the inside had to be pitch black.

"The pirates would never expect it," Jaunty explained with a shrug as he walked over to another tree. Caroline could see that it too was hollow and though at the distance it was invisible to her she assumed there was a tunnel at the back of that one as well.

"And even if they did," Peter added, "no grown up can fit in any of the hollow trees to get inside. That's why we each need our own, one of us only fits in one tree. I'll fit you for your own later but we're close enough in size that this one should do for now." With that Peter stepped inside and slid out of sight down the hollow tree.

"It's good timing," Jaunty said, "all the boys should still be inside so you can meet everyone at one time." Caroline just smiled, unsure of what to expect from the rest of her brother's companions but full of curiosity about them and Neverland in general. The fact that they seemed to have come up with the strangest living arrangement only added to the mix of eagerness and nerves she was feeling. "Well, go on," Jaunty said cheerfully, gesturing for her to go inside the hollow tree. "Just climb in and slide down. It'll be a close fit, it is for everybody, but it's quite easy."

Though he was standing ready in front of his own tree, Jaunty seemed to be waiting for her to go first so Caroline figured she should not keep him waiting. She took a deep breath and stepped inside the tree and lowered herself into the tunnel entrance. She felt herself sliding quickly down a smooth slope but it was too dark to see anything. However, in only a second or two there was light ahead of her and she felt her feet hit soft ground. She was standing in a large open space entirely formed by compact earth. She could see the tree roots creating intricate patterns on the ceiling, most likely helping to support the dirt and hold it in place. Along the walls there were numerous holes, all slightly different sizes, which Caroline guessed were where the other hollow trees led. As if to confirm her guess, Jaunty appeared suddenly out of one of the openings to her left. The furniture was simple, mostly made of wood and what appeared to be large mushrooms still growing out of the floor. It might have been simple and Caroline knew her mother would be horrified by the lack of organization, not to mention the fact that dirt was a major element in the arrangement, the twelve year old found it cozy and welcoming.

Finally, Caroline's eyes settled on a cluster of boys in the center of the room. Four pairs of eyes had settled on her upon her arrival. Peter stood in front of the group with his back to Caroline and Jaunty crossed the room to join the group. Peter, noticing his arrival and the shifted attention of the other boys turned. "Lost Boys, meet my sister, Caroline," he announced. The boys all stepped towards Caroline while Peter and Jaunty stayed back, apparently leaving the others to introduce themselves. Out of habit Caroline gave a small curtsy to the group forming in front of her, then realizing that she was not in her parents' drawing room she wondered if such formalities were appropriate here in Neverland. She glanced at Peter who seemed amused by the gesture, so she focused her attention to these "Lost Boys" as each began to introduce themselves.

"My name's Slightly," the first boy to step forward was dark haired and close to Caroline's height. "I remember sisters, they-"

"I'm Nibs," another boy interrupted Slightly as he eagerly stepped forward. He shook Caroline's hand, "it is a pleasure to meet you, Caroline."

_What curious names they all have,_ Caroline thought, but before she could respond a boy with a mess of sandy colored curls on his head stepped forward. "I'm Curly," he said, looking up at her with a shy smile. She returned the smile before looking over to the last boy who stood patiently behind the others.

"My name is Tootles," he told her with a smile and polite nod.

"It is wonderful to meet you all," Caroline said, "I'm sure we're going to have splendid adventures while I'm here." Peter and Jaunty came to join the group as she spoke.

"Do sisters go on adventures?" Curly asked.

"Sisters are the same as other girls," Nibs replied thoughtfully, "If girls were adventurous a few of them ought to have fallen out of their prams and become Lost Girls, but there aren't any of those."

"I expect girls are just too clever to fall out of their prams," Caroline retorted, if she was to be the Lost Boys only impression of girls she was determined to make it a good one.

Jaunty gave an approving laugh. "You're going to fit in well," he said, "girls may not fall out of their prams but if they're all like you they can manage on their own."

"Well, I wouldn't say all girls back in London are like me," Caroline admitted shyly, remembering how many of the other girls on her street would rather pretend to be keeping house as the wife of a nobleman than imagine themselves exploring an ancient castle.

"Of course," Peter said happily, "I'm such a remarkable boy so my sister would be a rare sort of girl." The other boys nodded in agreement as Caroline felt the color rise in her cheeks.

"I'm very curious to hear about your adventures," Caroline said, deciding this was finally a good time to really hear about what Neverland was like without the distractions of flying or pirate attacks. "From what I've seen and heard so far it seems anything in Neverland is sure to be perfectly thrilling."

The boys were more than happy to recount various adventures they had and Caroline enjoyed hearing not just the adventures themselves but also noticing each boy's unique style. Peter had obviously had the most adventures of all the boys, though it seemed he quickly forgot a good portion of them. Slightly would tell the entire account eagerly while she often had to ask questions to prompt Curly to continue. Nibs went into great detail about battles and narrow escapes– often leaping up and re-enacting particularly climactic parts– while Tootles gave every aspect of the adventure the same amount of attention. She found Jaunty the most interesting to listen to, he had a way of maintaining such a cheerful tone that Caroline felt herself smiling in even the most frightening parts, his carefree nature allowed him to find something funny in practically any situation.

Tinkerbell was also a charming part of the storytelling. Since Peter was the only one who could understand her perfectly– the Lost Boys seemed to be able to get the basic idea but not every word– she never gave her own full account of any adventure, but she would correct the others or add some detail the teller had forgotten.

They continued recounting their adventures to Caroline for hours, until all of their stomachs had begun to rumble. Caroline volunteered to make their meal; it seemed only fair she contribute something after they had entertained her for so long. The boys offered to hunt or fish to add to the meal but since Caroline knew very little about preparing a freshly killed animal she suggested they put that off until one of the boys could show her what to do and in the meantime they could have a fine vegetable soup from what was already in the small box they kept as a pantry. Peter, who had been the least eager to have supper, suggested they pretend there was some kind of meat in addition to the soup and Caroline was impressed to see how seriously the boys took this. Each made a point of cutting and eating a good sized piece from the apparently empty plate that was left in the center of the table beside the soup bowl. Caroline followed their lead, surprised to find it did not feel at all silly and in fact she almost felt a bit more full from it.

After supper Tinkerbell retired to her room, a recess in the wall that was hidden by a small curtain. Caroline caught a glimpse inside that was enough for her to tell it was a lovely little boudoir, she would have to ask Tinkerbell for a better look sometime when the fairy was not readying herself for bed. This led Caroline to ask where they were all to sleep, the boys answered by pulling down a large bed that had been propped on its side during the day.

"Tinkerbell says a lady ought to have her own bedchamber," Jaunty pointed out as he looked from Caroline to the bed where the other Lost Boys had already begun climbing into their sleeping places.

"I don't need a whole room," Caroline replied, "there really is no way to make one here and I don't want to be a trouble."

"Tinkerbell is very particular when it comes to proper living arrangements," Jaunty explained, ignoring the somewhat irritated sounding chimes that came from behind the little curtain.

"Well, I wouldn't mind a bed of my own," Caroline admitted. "I don't need a place to change clothes or powder my nose just now since I didn't bring any more than this," she added, gesturing to her nightclothes.

"We have an extra blanket we use when winter comes," Tootles said hurrying over to a large folded cloth beside the bed. "You can use that and we'll just have to make a new one before the next frost."

Once that was agreed on Peter gathered some moss from the forest and helped Caroline arrange it as a mattress. The spare blanket was large enough that Caroline could fold it in half on top of the moss and lie between it. The twelve year old only realized just how tired she was when she actually lay down in her little bed and so quickly fell asleep and the boys, though much more accustomed to days of excitement –so much so that this day seemed one of the less eventful they had had for some time –were not as worn out but also drifted off to sleep in a matter of minutes.


	7. 1891: Adjusting

Sorry this update took so long but school and work has kept me very busy. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up with it better from now on. Thank you for reading, knowing that people are actually enjoying the story really helps to motivate me. As always constructive criticism and any thoughts you have are greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy!

I do not own _Peter Pan_

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><p>Caroline awoke to see the Lost Boys pushing their bed onto its side and against the wall. She had no idea what time it was but she felt well rested so she decided to get up and start the day.<p>

"Good morning," she greeted the boys as she crawled out from the blanket moved it and the moss bedding into a corner of the room.

"Good morning," they chorused.

"We've still got lots of fruit left for breakfast," Jaunty announced and so everyone made their way to the larder and took whatever fruits they liked best. Clearly no one intended to give up the extra minutes of setting up the table or a full meal when there was a whole day of fun to be had.

"So what are we going to do today?" Caroline asked as she came up beside Peter.

Peter looked thoughtful for a moment. "It's been awhile since we went swimming," he replied and glanced around at the other boys who all grinned at the suggestion. They immediately fell into chatter about how hot it had been the past few days and how big the waves had been for the past few days. Caroline beamed as well, Martin used to take her to the beach every summer when she was younger but once he started helping his father manage his company he had less free time to spend on day long trips and her parents never took her on outings.

It only took a few minutes for everyone to have their fill of breakfast and they quickly left the home under the ground and were running through the forest. Caroline was not really sure when it happened but at some point by unspoken consent their wild dash through the undergrowth had become a race. Peter soared through the air, weaving around the tree trunks and branches effortlessly as the Lost Boys scrambled around each other trying to get ahead of the group while maneuvering around the roots and underbrush.

Caroline could not help giggling as she sensed the sudden competition and did her best to run as fast as she could. Unfortunately, a nightgown was not the best suited for running and her bare feet were soon protesting about being pounded against the uneven ground. Vaguely a thought of what her parents would think of her sprinting through a forest, in her night clothes and not so much as a pair of slippers on her feet came to her mind. _At least I'm not ruining one of my party dresses_, she thought idly and soon her mind was focused on keeping up with the others and any concern for her parents' opinion of what she was doing was forgotten.

By the time the group burst through the tree line and into the bright sunlight Caroline was feeling a slight burn in her lungs and her breaths were coming heavier but it was more exhilarating than unpleasant. The boys were more accustomed to the exercise but she saw a few beads of sweat on all their brows. Caroline was last but the boys didn't actually seem to care who won the race and had simply enjoyed the thrill of trying to outpace one another so carried on to jump into the water as soon as they were in only their pants to avoid being weighed down by the rest of their clothes. As Caroline hurried to join them she ran past animal skin jackets, shirts, and even swords and a few daggers Caroline had not noticed that the boys had been wearing that had been tossed carelessly along the beach. Shrugging off any concern about not having proper bathing suits Caroline hurried into the water but only got in as far as her waist before the cold got to her. The boys were just a few feet ahead of her splashing around and letting the waves bob them up and down. Noticing her hesitation Peter rose out of the water and flew over to her.

"You do know how to swim, right?" He asked, as the thought apparently only just occurred to him.

"Yes," Caroline assured him with a smile. "It's just so cold."

Her brother grinned mischievously, "well, there's only one way to get used to the cold." Before Caroline could respond Peter let himself drop into the water creating a large splash.

Caroline gave a shriek of surprise as the cold water sprayed up at her. Peter swiftly swam back out to join the boys and Caroline, ignoring the cold hurried after him. As soon as she caught up to her brother the twelve year old began splashing water at him before he could even turn to notice her behind him. Wild laughter mixed with the crashing waves as the siblings' splashing and dodging resulted in the Lost Boys getting caught up in the game. Eventually their splashing died down and, all thoroughly soaked, the children began amusing themselves in more relaxed ways. Tootles and Curly drifted back to the shore and began constructing sand castles along the beach while the others continued to float or just swim around in the shallows. Caroline had not been planning to go any deeper than where she had to stand on tiptoe to keep her head above water. She could swim but her lined and embroidered nightdress had become noticeably heavy in the water and she did not know how long she could tread water with the extra weight. However, Jaunty apparently did not realize that she had already made this decision and felt the need to add a warning.

"In case you go swimming again just remember it's not a good idea to go much deeper than where you can stand," he said when they ran out of casual conversation and stories and whatever else they had thought to talk about. "Otherwise the mermaids might drag you under."

"But I thought mermaids are gentle creatures," Caroline replied, "that's how they are in my story books." She had been rather looking forward to seeing mermaids and had even wondered if some might come and join them in the water. Now she was getting the impression that was the exact opposite of what she should be hoping.

"Well, the story books don't know much about Neverland's mermaids," Peter answered, "but don't worry, they won't bother us here."

"They like Peter so they'll go away if he tells them to but if you're too deep they can sneak up from below and you're under before anyone notices them." Jaunty explained.

Caroline was about to say she would remember to avoid potential mermaid homes but found she did not quite mean it. She had come to Neverland for adventures and fun, hadn't she? Suddenly she found herself understanding Peter and Jaunty's confidence when it came to the pirates. Treasure hunters firing cannons and brandishing swords held no interest for her, and in fact if Caroline never had to encounter them up close she would consider herself lucky. But mermaids still enticed her, even if she now knew she would have to keep her distance. "I'll be careful of them then," she said.

The Lost Boys seemed satisfied by this and soon returned to their games and idle chatter. They continued their beach fun until midday, when quite a few stomachs began to growl. Agreeing to head back to the home under the ground for lunch the children set to their own tasks. Peter, Slightly, and Nibs decided to try and catch a few fish, revealing that they had a supply of fishing rods and bait hidden stored the crevice of a boulder. The Twins, Curly, and Tootles decided to gather some more firewood and any edible plants that might catch their interest. Caroline volunteered to start tending to their little house and getting everything ready for cooking and their meal and Jaunty offered to help since she was still new and might not be able to find everything on her own.

Peter, Slightly, and Nibs proved to have a very successful catch and even the others returned with a good supply of wild plants to eat. Jaunty and Caroline already had the table set, cooking supplies ready, and had even gotten a good fire started. The boys showed Caroline how to prepare the fish and together they prepared plenty of food for a filling lunch. While they were eating Peter announced that the fishing party had seen the pirates' sails nearing their side of the island just as they were leaving the beach to bring back their fish. This resulted in excited chatter about the possibility of running into the pirates if they came on shore. Caroline was the only one who was not excited by the potential for pirate related adventures to come.

"Don't worry," Jaunty said, as the group cleaned up after their meal, "we all know how to deal with pirates. We've beaten them plenty of times."

"I don't know the first thing about fighting," Caroline admitted quietly. She was vaguely surprised by the embarrassment she felt. In London it was to be assumed that a young lady would have no combat skills, they weren't needed after all. But Neverland's ways had already set in and she knew that being able to wield a sword was considered the norm among the Lost Boys. She expected she could have argued that a girl should be exempt from confronting pirates and leave it to the boys. After all, it seemed that she was the first girl to come and live with Peter so she could set different rules. However, she found that she did not want to. Neverland thrilled her and she wanted to experience it as her brother did. She left to get away from being cooped up where it was safe with her parents forever worrying about anything happening to her. "But maybe I could learn." She added hopefully.

"Yes," Peter said having overheard the conversation. "We can go to the clearing and practice sword fighting there."

The Lost Boys were all excited by this so everyone claimed a sword from the numerous blades stored in a corner Caroline had not noticed last night. She stared at the array of weapons for a moment after the boys had all taken their favorites. She would just have to trust that they would not have bothered to keep a sword that had some defect and so just chose the sword that looked to be the lightest and easiest to handle and followed the boys out into the forest.

They made their way to a small clearing with enough space to move around freely. They showed Caroline a few stances and each offered bits of advice they had developed from experience. Once she felt comfortable enough handling the blade the boys suggested that they all have a couple of sparring matches. They agreed to have one on one matches and take turns against each other.

"The best way to learn is to actually do it," Peter said encouragingly.

"And it's better to have a few sparring matches with friends than find yourself against a pirate," Jaunty added.

"All right," Caroline replied, "but I think I'll watch a few rounds first. To see if I can pick up on a little more before trying myself."

So with that Caroline took a seat on a large fallen log as the boys agreed on the order to face each other in. As she watched each set of pairs face one another it was quickly apparent that Peter was the best of the group, even without the advantage of flight. He had explained that since he was only against the other children it wouldn't be fair to fly unless the others could to, but he was the only one who has enough happy thoughts to keep him steady in the air and still give his full concentration to the duel. Fighting pirates was different because they were bigger than him which gave them an advantage so he could fly against them just to keep things fair. Still, the other boys were clearly also talented.

It was then that Caroline realized how long these boys must have been here in Neverland. This life was completely natural to them, where though they treated it like a game being able to defend themselves was actually a major necessity. That part frightened her but then she found herself noticing the lush green surroundings all around them and brightly colored flowers. And then there was that sense of fun that filled the island, like a thousand new games and adventures were already just waiting for her to find them. She smiled to herself at the thought; the enchantment of the place was worth the risks.

Finally she realized she was not going to learn much more by watching. So she took a deep breath and volunteered to go in the next round. Her first opponent was Tootles who said he had the least experience in real battles of all the boys so he was the closest to her level. Their fight lasted a few minutes; Caroline proved to have good reflexes for blocking but was hesitant to strike and tried to push aside his blows as she had seen others do to throw off their opponents balance but with limited success. Despite being the least skilled Tootles still remained in control of his strikes and blocked the few attacks Caroline managed with ease. Eventually however she accidentally left herself open to an attack and was not fast enough to block it. She froze for a moment when she saw the tip of Tootles' blade pointing straight at her. She gave a nod acknowledging that he had won and the two returned to the sidelines as Curly and Slightly stepped up to go next.

"You did really well for your first time," Tootles assured her.

"Yes," Jaunty added, "you have the right instincts so you'll get it in no time."

Caroline gave a grateful smile. She had not been surprised to have lost the match, it was her first time, but she was pleased that she managed for as long as she did. "That was actually a lot more fun than I expected," she said. She had started thinking she would learn to fight out of necessity but once she started she realized it could actually be very exciting. Though she did not mention the feeling she had that the excitement was only because she knew there was no real danger.

They continued for a few more hours, Caroline continued to be beaten but she was becoming more sure of herself and managing longer against each of the boys. After awhile though they all agreed they were getting worn out and agreed that they had enough practice for one day. They were trying to decide what to do next when Tinkerbell chimed something, after listening to her Peter nodded and turned to the group.

"Tink says the pirates have probably reached wherever they were moving to when we saw them," he translated. "We can split up and see where they are now."

"Maybe they've found some treasure and are going to hide it on the island!" Curly said excitedly.

"They were headed in the direction of the Indian village," Slightly announced, "if they planning a raid we can help defend them."

"They're probably still trying to pinpoint our hideout," Jaunty replied thoughtfully, "so if we go in different directions we'll throw them off and get to have a bit of fun in the process."

With everyone eager for the upcoming adventure they split up into groups. Tootles and The Twins headed back in the direction they had come. Saying they would not go too near the entrances to the home under the ground but they would make sure the pirates were not already there. Curly, Nibs, and Slightly decided to check the area surrounding the village while Peter, Jaunty, and Caroline would take a look around the remaining third of the island. Caroline felt her heartbeat quicken as she realized she might find her first big Neverland adventure today.

_Don't go looking for trouble_, advice from someone when she was younger echoed softly in her mind. She could not remember where it came from. Her parents? Martin? Perhaps a neighbor or teacher? _But we need to know where the pirates are_, she reasoned, unconcerned about her strangely foggy memory, _it is better to take them by surprise than let them come to our doorstep_. Content with her reasoning she quickly fell in step with her brother and Jaunty, eager for an adventure.


	8. 1891: Adventure

Sorry this took so long to post, this semester has kept me constantly busy and writer's block didn't help when I actually did have time. However now that I've finished my exams it will just be my job taking my time I should (hopefully) be able to work on this more quickly.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Peter Pan_

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><p>The small group agreed to look around the shoreline first. The boys explained that if the pirates were in this section of the island it would be easiest to track them if they knew where the boat ship had landed. They had been walking for a few minutes when Caroline realized that carrying her sword was likely to get in the way if they had to trek through difficult terrain in the forest. Glancing around she noticed a thick vine hanging from a tree she reached up to try and tug it down but it gave little more than an inch and showed no sign of tearing. Though a little inconvenient she decided that was a good sign, it meant it was sturdy and would not be withering any time soon so she drew her sword and laid the empty sheath on the ground. Peter and Jaunty had waited for her, trying to guess why she stopped in the first place. Estimating the length she would need she quickly cut a section of the vine down and after sheathing the sword she threaded the vine through the short leather strap of the sheath and tied the vine around her waist as a belt.<p>

Now understanding Caroline's intentions the boys each gave approving nods and returned to their trail. Caroline was impressed by how quickly they found the best route out of the forest she tried to pick out a few landmarks as they made their way hoping to be able to navigate Neverland on her own soon. Unfortunately she was not having much success. It was just one tree after another with scattered ferns, rocks, and leaves at their feet. How was she supposed to make any sense of it?

"This forest is amazing," she breathed, she was fairly sure they would know if the pirates were nearby but it still seemed best not to make too much unnecessary noise. "But everything looks so similar how do you find your way so easily?"

"You just get used to the island after awhile," Peter answered with a shrug. "And in the meantime getting lost means lots of great adventures."

Caroline gave a half smile at the last part. _I suppose that's a good way of looking at it_, she thought, _though I think I'd rather my adventures happen where I know what's around me._

"It will take some time but if you pay attention to things that stand out and seem unique you can use them to help you," Jaunty added. "Like that branch that turns straight up," he pointed towards a thick branch that was a few feet above their heads that had been growing out but then made an almost perfect right angle to grow upwards. "Now if you come across that you'll know that the clearing is awhile in that direction," he explained gesturing towards the way they had just come.

They continued on for some time, Caroline trying to pick out landmarks she could remember. It was like a game, _even just finding my way around Neverland is more fun than in London_, she thought, _remembering the way home by interesting plants and rock formations is more creative than just a series of street names and where they relate to the third house on…on…_

"The beach is just a little farther on," Jaunty said, pulling Caroline's attention away from trying to recall the name of the street her parents lived on, "do you think we would have noticed something out of the ordinary if the pirates had docked around here?"

"Maybe," Peter answered, "but not if they are still on the beach or went through a different part of the forest. Probably still best to check around."

Caroline stumbled slightly as her foot grazed a stone in the path. The boys stopped turning to make sure she was alright. She smiled reassuringly and glanced down to see the stones that had tripped her. One rock that started low and somewhat flat then jutted upwards forming a point Caroline was glad her foot had missed and on each side of it was a more rounded stone. "It looks like a throne for a fairy," she said cheerfully.

At this Tinkerbell flew over to inspect the proposed furniture. A second later she made a series of chimes, crossing her arms and turning her head disdainfully away from the rock formation.

"Well, of course a proper throne would have to be much finer." Caroline added quickly, guessing at what the fairy might have said. "I only meant the idea is there even if it is a bit too crude to really be a throne."

Tinkerbell gave a grudging nod and fluttered back to Peter's shoulder. Caroline ignored the amused looks of the boys deciding that she would have to think twice about voicing any fanciful ideas that came to her mind in the future as they continued the rest of the way to the beach.

They emerged to find a rockier part of the beach than where they had been swimming earlier. Peter flew up into the air and headed towards the water looking around for any sign of the pirates followed by Tinkerbell. Jaunty and Caroline quickly followed, making their way carefully over the rough ground. For as far as they could see there was only clear skies and the crashing waves of the ocean, no sign of a ship anywhere.

The children began making their way along the beach to continue searching their section of the island. Peter and Tinkerbell took the lead followed by Jaunty and Caroline. Every so often one of them would find an interesting shell or tracks of an animal to interest them. After a few minutes of this Caroline noticed a large fallen tree that stretched far into the water. Deciding that she could probably get a good view of the ocean from there she glanced back towards the forest. Half of the roots still seemed to have a firm grip in the soil though the other half now reached up into the sky and the truck and branches appeared sturdy with no signs of rot setting in. She quickly climbed up the wood and slowly crawled along the trunk out over the water. If the boys or Tinkerbell noticed they made no attempt to stop her, probably guessing what she was thinking. The end of the tree would give her a much wider view than they could get from the shoreline so she would have a good chance of seeing the pirate ship if it was anywhere nearby. And even if the ship was not in this area she was sure to have a bit of fun.

Caroline concentrated fully on where to place her hands and knees, carefully feeling for any sign of weakness in the wood before putting her full weight on a new area so it was not until she had almost reached the uppermost branches that she realized she was not the only one taking an interest in the fallen tree. Between some of the branches just ahead of her she saw a mermaid, bobbing with only her head and shoulders above the water's surface. Caroline gasped and was about to call to the others when her eyes met the mermaids gaze. Staring into the mermaid's eyes, as dark as the depths of the sea, she no longer noticed the rough bark beneath her hands. She thought she heard voices calling but they seemed so far away and so insignificant compared to the soothing sound of the waves around her. She felt herself relax, hardly aware of anything but the sounds of water and the sight of those mysterious eyes.

Suddenly she was broken from her trance as she was staring at the back of Peter's head and felt his steadying grip on her arm, which proved to be a very good thing as the shock of what was happening caused her to jump and nearly lose her balance. Caroline was not sure how she had managed it but she was no longer crouched on the tree trunk but instead sitting on it with her feet dangling just inches over the water. The twelve year old collected her thoughts just in time to see the mermaid's arm held out of the water, her webbed fingers just inches from Caroline's ankle when Peter's arrival had apparently caused her to stop. Caroline quickly moved backwards barely aware of the fact that Peter seemed to be talking to the mermaid. She had only slid back a foot or so when she sensed someone behind her and turned to see Jaunty reaching out towards her, his eyes wide with worry. They silently crawled back along the tree trunk until they were back on the beach.

"I don't know what happened," Caroline said softly.

"You've got to be careful around them," Jaunty responded. He looked as though he was about to elaborate when suddenly Peter appeared beside them.

"The Jolly Roger is a few miles up ahead," Peter announced, "closer to where Slightly, Nibs, and Curly are so they'll probably come across the pirates soon, if they haven't already." He turned to Tinkerbell. "Tink, give them some pixie dust and then go find the Twins and Tootles and bring them towards where the pirates should be."

In response Tinkerbell swirled around Caroline and Jaunty and the two focused on happy thoughts. Once they were hovering a few feet in the air Tinkerbell took off to find the others. As soon as the two were in the air Peter took off in the direction the mermaids had apparently told him the pirates would be.

The three flew over the treetops and soon began to hear raised voices and the clash of swords. In unspoken agreement they all picked up speed following the sounds. Caroline faltered slightly as a sudden sense of nervousness rose in her but she recovered herself before either of the boys noticed. _An adventure,_ she reminded herself, _it's going to be an adventure._ Soon they spotted Curly, Slightly, and Nibbs fighting along the beach with a group of pirates. Caroline counted five of them but despite being outnumbered the boys seemed to be handling themselves surprisingly well, each deflecting blows from multiple opponents at once.

Peter and Jaunty wasted no time swooping down to the ground to join in the fray. Peter went directly for a pirate wearing a red coat. The pirate saw him coming and quickly broke from his duel with Slightly and rushed towards Peter. It was then that Caroline noticed he held his sword in his left hand and held his right arm up threateningly revealing a large metal hook. So this was the "old codfish" Jaunty had mentioned and had been a recurrent opponent in the adventures the boys had told her. Personally, Caroline could not see how they were all so unconcerned about having this man and his crew hunting them down but then she noticed Peter. He darted through the air around the pirate captain, expertly blocking every blow or swiftly dodging others, and all the while a confident grin never left his face and his eyes shone with excitement. Somehow seeing him so casual eased Caroline's anxieties a little, if her brother could be so carefree against such a terrifying enemy then she could at least help him and the others.

The twelve year old knew it would be foolish to take on any of the pirates herself. In her sparring matches with the boys they had been taking into account that she was a beginner, these pirates would show no such courtesy and once they realized she was only just learning to fight they would probably use her inexperience to their advantage. Instead, Caroline held onto her happy thoughts despite the fighting just long enough to land on a strong tree branch that extended close to the fighting. Her initial plan had been to simply watch the fighting from above and warn the boys if more pirates were appearing or if the ones present tried to take the boys by surprise somehow. However, when she noticed the branch was laden with some sort of hard shelled seeds a new idea came to her. She plucked a handful of them and began throwing them at any pirate who gave her an opening. She avoided those in close combat with one of the boys for fear of missing and causing her friends to be distracted but whenever one combatant managed to push their opponent away for even a moment she caught the pirate with her little projectiles. It did not make a great difference in itself, but the distraction of being struck by something usually gave whichever boy was fighting an opportunity to strike.

Only a few minutes passed before Tootles and the Twins arrived, but after having received a few wounds already and seeing that they would now be outnumbered the pirates fled. Their captain looked as if he had not shared in their desire to flee but knew better than to take on all the Lost Boys and their new ally alone. So he too hurried back to the small boat which was quickly paddled away as the boys gave chase as far as the water came to their waists. Thrilled at witnessing the boys' victory, Caroline had no trouble flying off of the branch and floating down to the ground to join the boys.

"That was clever of you," Jaunty said as she landed beside him, "using those seeds to distract them."

The other boys were regaling the Twins and Tootles with the events of the fight when Peter turned upon hearing Jaunty's words. "Yeah, with quick thinking like that you'll pick up on sword fighting in no time," he cheerfully.

Caroline smiled at the praise, pleased to have done the right thing to help and a little more excited to continue learning sword fighting and then she would be able to fully participate in the boys' adventures. Once the others had heard all about the morning's adventures they agreed to go back to the home under the ground. As they made their way through the undergrowth they children chattered happily about what games they could play and all sorts of other activities to enjoy for the rest of the day.


	9. 1891: Fear in Paradise

I am so sorry for how long this has taken! I wish I could promise to update more regularly but every time I do something seems to come up that takes both time and energy away from working on this. I can however promise that I will continue to work on it and try really hard to pick up the pace on updates. Again, I'm so sorry for the wait and thank you to everyone who has commented/followed/favored the story, it means so much to see that people really are interested in the story (despite how terrible I've been at updating). As usual, I do not own _Peter Pan_ or any of the content from the book, play, or movie versions.

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><p>The following day the children continued on the same sort of routine, mainly just going about the island and playing whatever sort of games came to mind. Neverland truly was a place where one adventure followed another; they never failed to find something exciting whenever they explored the jungles. And swimming in the ocean or playing on the beach was always fun.<p>

Caroline had been in Neverland for only a few days when Peter announced that they would have a pretend supper. At first she was skeptical of how they could have a proper meal without even a little real food but she resolved to give it a try. Even in that short time she had learned that Neverland was full of magic and could surprise her. The first few spoonfuls of imaginary soup had her feeling a bit foolish, making exaggerated scooping motions from an empty bowl and placing a dry wooden spoon to her lips. However once she stopped thinking about how her behavior looked and just let herself make believe she found she could almost feel the pleasant sense of warm liquid going down her throat. The imaginary soup was followed by bare plates for the main course and after a few minutes of carefully chewing pretend chicken she realized she was actually beginning to feel full.

"I suppose anything really is possible in Neverland," she said, mainly to herself though she made no effort to avoid being heard.

On her right side, Jaunty turned and smiled at the comment. "Of course," he replied, "after all, where is the fun in being told you can't do something?"

"None at all," Caroline agreed, "Mother was always telling me how silly my games of pretend sounded. That the fantastic things I imagined could never really happen. Or was that my nurse?" Caroline added, turning her head and frowning thoughtfully at her plate, though in fact she hardly saw the weathered piece of carved wood. Instead a vague shape of a woman danced through her thoughts, features that were too unfocused to describe and eyes that might have been blue, or maybe they were just a very light brown.

"No matter," Nibbs piped in from the other side of the table. "All grown-ups are dull anyway."

Caroline shook her head, dispelling the image completely. "Quite right!" She replied firmly, all too happy to end the troublesome subject. She then returned to the imagined food on her plate until she felt too full to take another bite. Once everyone was satisfied with the pretend meal the children continued to talk, regaling each other with their favorite parts of the days adventures until their eyelids began to droop with weariness.

Caroline contentedly curled up in the soft spare blanket that she had been given as the boys piled into the larger bed. As she drifted into sleep she found her earlier thoughts sneaking into her mind. A pair of faces appearing in her mind, their features shifting and fuzzy as if she were looking at them through a window that her breath had fogged. Suddenly the thought was interrupted by the sound of muffled whimpers. Blue eyes blinked open as she turned to look at the other bed. In the low burning candle light all she could see was the shape of the boys sleeping in it. Pushing herself up she quietly crossed the space between them and peered over the blankets.

Her gaze fell on Peter who was on the edge of the bed nearest to her. For a moment she just stared at him, as if to make certain that he was the same boy who had been sitting at the end of the table only a short while ago and led them through their romps through the jungle every day. That boy seemed almost a different person, with his carefree smile and wide bright eyes, than the one who lay in the bed, worried creases marring his youthful face and his eyes shut tight. Instead of laughter that seemed to come so easily to him he was crying softly. _What could he possibly be dreaming about?_ Caroline wondered, gently brushing her fingers across his forehead moving the golden curls aside.

It seemed all the others had fallen asleep already and his frightened whimpers were to soft to wake anyone, even the boys who lay right beside him. Caroline's heart clenched to see her brother in such distress. Her first thought was to wake him, but she doubted that would end well. He would only deny being so troubled, insist on going back to sleep and probably fall prey to the nightmares again. Instead, almost without thinking about it, Caroline found herself humming softly as she stroked her brother's hair. After a moment, words came to her and she sang softly.

"_My child, my very own,  
>Don't be afraid, you're not alone<br>Sleep until the dawn  
>For all is well"<em>

She hummed that melody another time, noticing her brother's features slowly begin to smooth. How odd, that she could barely picture her parents' faces or the street she had lived on seemed to be fading from her mind yet the old lullaby her mother sang to her when she could not sleep was coming now to her with hardly any effort. She could hear that soft soothing voice echoing in her mind.

While many parents left lullabies and other day to day aspects of their children's lives to their nurses, Mrs. Pan had always had time to wish Caroline a good night and sing her song whenever the girl complained of not being sleepy. A part of her had wondered if that was new, a result of their first child vanishing in the night making her parents need to see her safely to sleep. And perhaps that had something to do with how frequently Mrs. Pan had come to the nursery or Mr. Pan stopping to peer inside her room before he went to bed himself. But as she watched Peter relax, leaning his head towards Caroline's touch, the lines of fear and pain that marred his boyish features smoothing and just the hint of a smile touching his lips as she continued through the verses, Caroline wondered if he, too, had heard the lullaby before.

"_The time has come to go to bed_

_And let fine dreams fill your head_

_I will be here all through the night_

_To greet you, my dear, at morning's light_

_My child, my very own,  
>Don't be afraid, you're not alone<br>Sleep until the dawn  
>For all is well<em>

_The moon and stars watch from the sky_

_The night wind whispers a lullaby_

_So lay down and rest without fear_

_I will keep you safe, I'll be here_

_My child, my very own,  
>Don't be afraid, you're not alone<br>Sleep until the dawn  
>For all is well<em>"

The next day the group resumed their usual routine. As the children helped themselves to some fruits for their morning meal Caroline made her way to stand beside Peter. "How did you sleep?" She asked, expecting him to mention something about the nightmare.

"Fine," he replied with a shrug. "And you?"

For a moment Caroline stared at him in surprise, but as their perfectly matched eyes met she realized he was not being evasive. If anything he looked genuinely curious as to why she had asked the question. "Fine, as well," she murmured in reply. She knew bad dreams were something everyone got once in awhile but one that affected him so much, causing him so much fear and distress, the twelve year old thought it must have been the most dreadful kind of nightmare. And in her own experience, it helped to be able to talk about what had frightened her with someone. However, considering he evidently had no memory of the nightmare, bringing it up now seemed likely to do more harm than good. Wanting to get away from the subject as quickly as possible she glanced around and noticed that the chest of fruits and other foods they had stored appeared a little low. "It might be nearing time to refill the larder," she said, jumping on the first thing to come to mind.

"We can explore the jungle," Peter replied. "We can gather fruits and things while we go adventuring."

"We haven't gone hunting in awhile," Slightly piped up. This was met with excited chatter as the boys gathered their bows and arrows.

"I think I'll just gather fruit," Caroline replied. "I don't know anything about hunting so I expect I would just get in your way." Caroline had been improving fairly well in her sword practices with the boys but hunting was bound to require many different skills that a young lady was never taught in the civilized society of London so she decided against risking making some terrible mistake that might ruin the whole adventure.

Seeming to understand her point of view the boys nodded in agreement as they finished gathering everything they would need. "You've gotten accustomed to the island then, enough to find your way around?" Jaunty asked, grabbing two large bags and handing one to Caroline, presumably to carry whatever she gathered.

"I'll stay close to the areas I know," she assured him, accepting the bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "Oh, Tinkerbell," she added as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Would you mind giving me a bit of pixie dust? It will make gathering fruit from the higher or thinner branches easier and then if I do get lost I can get my bearings from above." She had enjoyed the occasional game of climbing the large sturdy trees of Neverland but it could become very difficult in her long nightgown and she knew she would feel more confident gathering from precariously thin branches if she could avoid putting her weight on them.

Once the fairy made a few quick circles around Caroline, coating her in the sparkling dust, the group made their way out of the home under the ground and as the boys and Tinkerbell wandered off to wherever they expected to find their prey Caroline headed toward the nearest patch of berry bushes. She made sure to only gather things she could confidently identify, the girl had not heard anyone mention any poisonous plants on the island and thought it might be possible that the magic of the island kept such things away. After all, a dangerous animal was something that could be outsmarted or fought, which turned the danger into adventure, but it was far more difficult to find the fun in being poisoned. Still, she was not particularly interested in testing that theory by letting herself or any of the others eat unfamiliar fruits.

She followed a patch of raspberries, carefully slipping all the ripe berries into her bag until she came across a cluster of tall apple trees. Caroline continued this method of gathering as much as she could, flying up to even the highest of branches when necessary and move on until she found the next patch of edible plants. All the while she made sure to keep track of the different landmarks she passed and make sure she could still determine the way back once she was ready. By the time the sun was directly overhead she was actually having trouble getting her harvest securely in the bag as it was quite full, and getting rather heavy.

Caroline was considering heading back home and waiting for the boys to return when she realized that she had wandered far enough that she could faintly hear waves crashing on the shoreline. The sound brought back memories of her encounter with that mermaid. As frightening as the idea of being drowned without even realizing what was happening was, the creatures still intrigued Caroline. She had read stories and even seen drawings of the water maidens so often she simply could not resist trying to see them for herself now that she actually had the chance. And wouldn't it be a fine adventure of her own to go looking for them?

_But on the shore I'll be too close to them and vulnerable to whatever it was that one did last time,_ she thought with a small frown. And with the boys deep in the jungle there was no one to interfere if she did fall under a mermaid's spell. Still, there had to be a way, she told herself, trying to imagine some way of catching sight of the mysterious creatures, gracefully gliding through the water with their scales sparkling in the sunlight. And just like that, the answer came to her, as Caroline smiled at the thought of getting to see a mermaid from a safe distance she noticed she was feeling lighter, almost as if she were beginning to float. _I shall fly!_ She thought excitedly, quickly calling all the adventures she had enjoyed in Neverland so far and those yet to come and letting them fully lift her into the air and even up above the treetops.

Caroline laughed in excitement as she spun around in circles high in the sky, letting the treetops tickle her bare feet as she glided over them. She could hear the ocean waves crash against the island's shore and the sweet smell of spring filled the air. Everything felt absolutely perfect as she soared through the air towards the ocean thrilled by the prospect of getting to see a mermaid again, and this time be so high above that they likely would not even notice her much less be able to entrance her again. However, she was still pleased to just enjoy the feeling of flying in itself and so meandered over the island a bit, taking in the sight of the jungle from above it. That was when she noticed movement below her. In a small and only partially shaded clearing, she glimpsed the figure of a small boy. However, he was not one of the Lost Boys, Caroline doubted he could be much older than six years old and while the Lost Boys did wear animal skins none of them had bothered to create such carefully tailored leather as the child wore. Taking in the boys raven black hair and tan skin she realized he was one of the natives of the island the boys had mentioned so frequently. Caroline had never met any of the people that the others referred to as Indians but they had featured prominently in many of her brother's and the Lost Boys past adventures.

Caroline watched as the boy seemed to be studying the ground, a quiver of small arrows at his back and matching bow clasped in his hand. It looked more suited for short distances of practice than to actually use but she had to admit she was hardly qualified to judge such things. These Indians were unquestionably on better terms with Peter and the others than the pirates were but Caroline still thought it best not to bother the boy. Especially since she was not sure whether or not he would know about her arrival to the island and so might be suspicious of a strange girl appearing out of nowhere. She was just about to continue on her way as the boy was clearly too intent on something on the ground to have noticed her hovering above him when a sudden movement caught her eye up ahead where the foliage grew thicker. Caroline flew towards it but still had to lower herself into the branches of a tall tree to be able to see past the canopy. Landing lightly on the highest bough that could support her she peered through the leaves to see a small band of men. Her blue eyes widened as she took in the sea stained shirts and array of weapons. She had to stifle a gasp of surprise, having nearly forgotten about the threat of pirates. They had evidently been busy searching on some distant part of the island since the ship had been spotted and so had been of little concern to the children.

Caroline glanced back towards the clearing and the little boy, in the exact same direction as the pirates were now headed. _The slide into the home under the ground, Neverflowers, grass brushing against my feet,_ Caroline quickly listed things that made her happy while trying to suppress the panic she was feeling for the boy's safety. It resulted in a somewhat shaky flight but was still enough to lift her off the branch and back to the clearing. Within second she was lowering herself to the ground, stumbling slightly as her feet touched down as she was more concerned about the situation than making a graceful landing.

The boy looked up at her, giving her a curious look. "Pirates are coming, they're headed straight here! You've got to leave!" She spoke, waving her arms in a shooing motion. As his expression changed to perplexed amusement to one of concern Caroline heard voices coming up behind her. She spun around to see the pirates break through the foliage, instantly drawing their swords and pistols and aiming for the two children. She let out a cry of alarm before turning to run and noticed that the Indian boy seemed frozen with shock. She darted forward, scooping the small boy into her arms without even stopping. The twelve year old knew she would not be able to outrun the pirates for very long on foot, especially not while carrying another person and a bag full of fruit that given the way it was slung over her shoulder Caroline suspected trying to take it off would stall her more than the weight. The boy thankfully was rather small but he was still and added weight and she was not all that quick on her feet to begin with. _Not being captured or killed by pirates would make me very happy,_ she thought as she continued to run, jumping over tree roots and tearing through fern leaves. _You can do better than that, come on lovelier thoughts. Soft blankets, the smell of pine needles, listening to the boys' stories._ Slowly she felt her feet rising off the ground, even as they continued to move as if she was running.

She only stopped moving them when she was a good few feet above the undergrowth. Encouraged by the success she continued to rise higher and faster until she and the boy were well out of the reach of the pirates. Well, beyond the reach of their swords at least, the loud bang that resounded through the air reminded Caroline that there were still the pistols to worry about. Shooting forward while making sure her arms were tightly wrapped around the boy's waist Caroline tried to twist and zigzag through the air to throw off their aim. Eventually, she broke through the canopy of the trees, hopefully the foliage would make it harder for the pirates to follow them but Caroline continued to keep flying as fast as her happy thoughts would carry her.

Eventually the angry shouts of the pirates faded and Caroline felt herself relax somewhat. "Are you alright?" she asked, looking down at the boy in her arms. He nodded, but remained quiet looking wide eyed at the jungle below them. Caroline debated asking the boy if he could direct her to his village, when she heard familiar voices laughing from below. "Peter!" She cried out, turning quickly to follow the sound of the voices. Crashing through the canopy once again she found the Lost Boys looking up towards her. "Some pirates were chasing us, they're probably heading in this direction right now," she explained quickly wanting to warn the boys of the possible danger. As they heard the sound of beating wings and indignant sounding bird calls from somewhere in the distance Caroline dropped a few feet as she feared it was a result of the pirates noisy pursuit disturbing the birds, quickly recalling her list of happy thoughts she managed to catch herself and remain airborne.

"Let's get them!" Peter declared confidently, drawing his sword.

Shocked, Caroline managed to focus just enough to make a proper landing coming to stand beside Peter. While it still went against her every instinct, Caroline had learned to accept that the boys, Peter especially, never shied from any sort of danger. She had come to recognize the tone that was currently in her brother's voice fairly soon during her stay in Neverland. It was the same as when they had first arrived in Neverland and noticed the pirate ship, there would be no convincing him of fleeing. So instead she set the boy down behind her and drew her own sword. She had only enough time to take a position beside the other boys when the four pirates burst into view. They hesitated briefly seeing that they were now faced with a whole group instead of just one girl and young boy. Their hesitation did not last long however, as the boys charged towards them the pirates were evidently used to this sort of thing and quickly recovered themselves and rushed towards their opponents.

Soon the jungle echoed with the sounds of clashing blades and wild war cries.


	10. 1891: Little Hunter's Homecoming

Caroline was grateful that the group outnumbered the pirates but it was still clear they could present a challenge. Luckily so long as they were kept locked in close combat they were unable to use their revolvers as they had to focus on not getting caught by any of the boys' blades. Hesitating briefly Caroline was able to take in the group before her. In her haste to warn the boys she had simply registered that the group was present. Now however she realized that the group was not entirely whole. Tootles and both the twins were missing making the battle four pirates against five boys. Tinkerbell flitted about, mostly around Peter, though she helped the other boys as well, providing a moment's distraction that left the pirates open to a boy's attack or prevented the pirate from landing a dangerous blow. The numbers were in their favor but it seemed the pirates were still formidable opponents even with the odds against them.

Taking a deep breath, Caroline tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword, still a little frightened but determined to help her friends. The nearest fight was between one pirate and Jaunty so she took a position beside Jaunty, swinging her sword as the boys had taught her to fend off the pirate's blows and trying to strike at him herself. He was pushed back a little ways being taken off guard by the second opponent but still managed to block or dodge most of their attacks. Luckily, it did result in his own attacks on either of the children becoming less frequent.

After a few seconds gunshots began to sound in the clearing. A quick glance to the side revealed that Peter had taken to the air, allowing the pirate he had been fighting to utilize the firearm since the distance between them no longer required his full attention on blocking Peter's attacks with his sword. Instead, Peter alternated between diving low, forcing the man to still be ready to use his sword, and hovering high above shouting taunts or simply laughing. The best explanation Caroline could think of was that he might be trying to make the man use up all of his shots. And the fact that he seemed to grow hesitant to shoot after Caroline counted four shots she suspected the pirate had come to the same conclusion. However, even being partnered with Jaunty, Caroline decided it was wisest to focus on her own fight and trust Peter's judgment of how to deal with his foe. He usually did manage quite well after all.

As she parried the a strike from the pirate Caroline heard a loud thump and noticed Slightly slide across the ground looking a bit dazed. Remembering that he had been fighting the stockiest pirate in the group it was easy enough to guess what had happened. Slightly was quick on his feet and so had probably been relying on agility to avoid his opponent and strike before the man could react. However, considering the broad shoulders and muscled arms of the pirate all he needed was one hit to land to do considerable damage. As Caroline circled around her own opponent, the large pirate came into view, but he wasn't facing towards Slightly. Instead she watched him draw his revolver from his belt and point it directly at…

"Peter!" Caroline gasped in alarm. Peter was high in the air again, teasing his own opponent who held his revolver at the ready but seemed determined not to use it unless he was confident Peter would not dart out of the way at the last moment. The large pirate on, on the other hand, had no such concerns as Peter had his back to him and showed no sign of being concerned about any attack save from the man he was taunting and carefully watching.

Without thinking, Caroline broke from her own battle, swinging her sword wildly at the large pirate. Startled by this he jumped backwards to get beyond the reach of her blade just as he pulled the trigger, sending the bullet flying harmlessly a foot to Peter's left. In the next moment a cry of pain was heard from the pirate who had been fighting Peter. The little boy had evidently made use of his bow and arrow, though the arrow seemed only to have grazed the pirate's leg and the child's pout suggested he had been aiming for something more effective, it still served to draw the pirate's attention to him. Peter dove down between the enraged pirate and the boy fighting in close with his sword once again.

Just then the Twins appeared, one with a bird they had apparently downed and went to look for hanging from his hand while the other carried a bow with an arrow ready to fire. Apparently deciding the numbers were now too much out of their favor the pirates began retreating, slashing their swords or firing their revolvers only if one of the boys appeared to pursue them.

Once the pirates were gone, the boys seemed to actually notice the Indian boy who had not moved from where Caroline had put him down. "And where did the little lad come from?" Jaunty asked cheerfully.

"I saw him while I was collecting fruits and noticed those pirates headed straight for him." Caroline replied, trying to make her tone match his casualness despite the lingering rush of adrenaline and fear of being involved so directly in battle. If the boys caught the slight tremble in her voice they were gallant enough to ignore it. "Is it normal for someone his age to be in the jungle alone?" She added, remembering the lack of any others nearby. The Lost Boys proudly roamed Neverland without any adult looking after them and, though they were all considerably older than this boy, Caroline knew some of them had come here when they were young enough to still be in prams. Still, Caroline had imagined the natives living in Neverland to be somewhat more like the communities she knew where adults were protective of their children.

Jaunty shook his head with a thoughtful frown. "No, they usually keep the very young children in their village." After a moment he walked over to the boy, kneeling to be at eye level to try and coax the wide eyed child to explain how he came to be where Caroline found him.

Glancing around at the group Caroline was reminded that the group was still not complete. "Where is Tootles?" She asked.

"Some of our hunting sacks were getting full and he volunteered to bring them to the house," Peter shrugged. "Too bad he missed all the fun."

"That's always Tootles' luck though, isn't it," Slightly spoke up. "Poor chap."

Just then Jaunty stood up, turning to the rest of the group. "Seems he left without his family knowing after his older brother was allowed to join a hunting party and he wasn't," Jaunty said, nodding towards the boy who was shyly now fiddling with his bow.

"Didn't want to let the grown up's rules keep you from an adventure?" Peter asked the boy and giving him a bright smile.

"Well, he's had an adventure now, so I think we best help him back home before a search party comes along." Jaunty spoke up before the boy could respond. Caroline was a little surprised at the Lost Boy's words, Peter's disregard for danger in any situation was quite normal for him but Caroline had expected the others to share his view. However, Jaunty's insistence on getting the boy home rather than commending his running away suggested he, like Caroline, was more focused on how the child had narrowly missed being confronted by four pirates on his own.

"Very well," Peter replied, rising off the ground. "It has been awhile since we visited the village. Now you'll get a chance to meet the Indians of Neverland." He added, turning to Caroline.

With that Jaunty turned to the little boy, "ready to head home?" He asked, holding his hand out to the child.

The boy glanced down at the bow in his hand, pausing for a moment. "I wanted to show I could hunt, too," he murmured.

"Well, you may not have a trophy for it," Caroline spoke up. "But you've still got quite a story to tell. I'm sure you'll have plenty of other chances to go hunting in the future."

With a furtive glance towards the trampled underbrush that marked the pirates' retreat the boy nodded and took Jaunty's hand. With that the group made their way towards the Indian village, detouring slightly towards the home under the ground to meet up with Tootles. The group regaled him with the events of the fight along the way until they spotted a few thin wisps of smoke rising above the tree line.

As soon as they entered the village the group was swarmed by people chatting excitedly and calling to one another. A man and woman burst from the crowd, followed by a teenage boy and as soon as they appeared the little boy released Jaunty's hand to meet them. The woman promptly swept him up into her arms holding him tightly. "Thank you for finding him," she said, turning to the group before returning her attention to the boy. Caroline just caught the beginnings of a scolding before a tall man stepped forward. Judging by how the crowd parted for him, and the intricately made feathered headdress he wore Caroline guessed he was the chief.

"Many were concerned for the little one when he ventured off," the chief spoke, his voice deep and resonant. "We offer Lost Boys a feast in celebration of his safe return."

This was met by loud cheers from both the boys and the rest of the crowd. "Fighting pirates isn't any trouble at all," Peter declared proudly. "But celebrations are always good fun!"

"It seems Peter Pan is not just followed by Lost Boys," the chief replied, his gaze falling on Caroline as they moved towards the center of the village.

"Oh, yes," Peter said as if he had forgotten that Caroline's presence might raise some curiosity. "This is my sister, Caroline. She's come to stay in Neverland as well."

"It was Caroline who found the boy and met up with us while trying to get him to safety," Jaunty added.

"Then we are all very thankful to you," the chief said turning to Caroline with a nod.

Caroline simply gave a polite nod of her head, feeling a slight blush forming on her cheeks. She was not really sure what the proper response would be and could not help feeling a little shy after being thanked by a chief, especially for something she had done purely instinctively.

With that the chief gestured for them to follow as he moved towards the center of the village. Having heard his announcement of a feast a number of villagers were already beginning to appear with baskets of food and what looked like decorations. Caroline could see the excitement building among the villagers as well as the Lost Boys, even she could not help smiling at the idea of getting to not only see but be a part of a big celebratory feast. Neverland truly never ceased to offer new adventures and fun.

Twins will show up soon, having just gone off to collect a bird they shot down earlier, pirates decide they are now too outnumbered and flee…Tinkerbell should do something, maybe should even add her helping somehow earlier? Then they can get the boy back to the village and continue with planned plot of Caroline remembering/worrying about parents etc. Not sure where to end the chapter though so will just have to see how long things go/where a good break appears


	11. 1891: Stories 'Round the Fire

It took very little time before the feast was fully under way, with the baskets of fresh fruits laid out and roaring fires with meats and other foods that needed to be cooked being set up. Caroline took a deep breath, enjoying the tantalizing scents that filled the air. A few of the natives not working to prepare the meals began to take up musical instruments which led others to start dancing about the open spaces in the center of the village. A few of the Lost Boys even joined in, Caroline however remained sitting on a log off to the side. While she might have been well versed in how to dance in the elegant ballrooms of London, what the natives and boys were doing was like nothing she had seen before. It was clear the Indians did have particular steps and the Lost Boys for the most part seemed to have attended feasts enough to have some basic idea of the steps. Though she did notice a few of them adding their own personal touches to the dance.

Not wanting to make a fool of herself, Caroline decided to stay on the sidelines of the group, watching the dancers. That was until she noticed the woman who had greeted the little boy when they first arrived in the village approaching her.

"Lost Boys said it was you who first found my son," the woman spoke, her accent was more pronounced than the chief's had been. Caroline could only guess it was because she had less reason to use English than he did since it made sense that the chief or those close to him would be more likely to interact with the Lost Boys if they needed to discuss something than one of the villagers. "I wish to offer my personal thanks. May this feast be pleasing to you and the Lost Boys for all that you have done. Wild Wind is always running off somewhere. It is hard to keep our eyes on him." She added, glancing off to the other side of clearing. Caroline followed her gaze to see the little boy jumping around in a circle around his brother who was playing an instrument that looked a little like a flute. Their father stood nearby, leaning against a nearby post, his eyes following the path of his youngest son.

"Wild Wind, is that his name?" Caroline asked. Realizing she had not thought to ask for the child's name amid all the excitement.

"In your language, yes," his mother replied with a smile, though she continued to look towards her family instead of Caroline. "He is well named. Always full of energy and wanting to go out and be free as a breeze."

"Well, I'm glad we were able to get him back. And all this is quite wonderful already." Caroline assured the woman.

The woman briefly turned back to face Caroline and gave her a gentle smile. "I am glad. Again, we are all very thankful to you." Caroline gave a small nod and with that the woman returned to her family, standing beside her husband to watch their sons' fun.

"Come on, Caroline, join in," Peter's voice pulled Caroline's attention away from the little family. He had decided to incorporate flight into his dance.

"I don't know this dance," Caroline replied as her brother leapt off the ground to perform a series of summersaults in midair.

"So?" He replied, landing gracefully beside a young native girl. He mimicked a few of her steps until she began to twirl. At which point Peter also began to spin, with the slight difference of rising an inch off the ground with every rotation. "Make one up," he added, stopping his spins to gracefully float back to the ground to again show off his footwork.

Caroline was about to point out that she did not know the first thing about making up a dance when Jaunty suddenly appeared in front of her. The Lost Boy gently, but rather firmly took her hands. "Then just follow my lead," he said, pulling Caroline to her feet. In seconds the two of them were whirling around the fires. Initially Jaunty kept his steps slow and simple, allowing Caroline to register what he was doing and keep in step. However, slowly she noticed his pace quickening to better suit the music and his movements growing more and more complicated. For the most part she still managed to mirror him though a few times she wound up misjudging him and doing something different. Still, he did not seem to mind much and they both remained conscious enough of the other's movements to avoid bumping into each other or stepping on someone's feet.

Soon enough they had spread away from each other. Caroline found her self laughing in pure delight as she wove between the other dancers, seeing their performances and making up her own. Once she was no longer troubled at the idea of not following long established precise steps the twelve year old found dancing could be a great deal of fun.

The sun was nearly set by the time someone announced that the food was all prepared. Caroline and the boys eagerly made their way to the logs arranged around the largest fire. Not realizing how hungry all the excitement of the day had made her until a small bowl of some kind of soup was put in front of her, Caroline happily ate the offered food. Whatever the ingredients were, it was nothing like anything she had eaten back in London. She could tell their was some of vegetables and herbs she had seen the natives preparing earlier and some sort of meat. The combination had just a hint of sweetness to it and seemed to melt in her mouth and slide easily down her throat.

For the most part, everyone seemed to be enjoying the meal as much as Caroline resulting in relative quiet. However, after a few minutes with the diners finishing the last of their portions, which Caroline noticed was surprisingly filling as well as tasty the chief stood up from his place.

"We are all pleased by Wild Wind's return," he said, nodding kindly towards the little boy who sat beside his family. The boy's parents sat on either side of him and his brother sat beside their father. The brother was leaning around his father apparently having been talking to Wild Wind before the chief spoke. At the chief's gesture, his mother wrapped her arm around his shoulders in a quick hug while his father gently tousled his hair. "Perhaps our guests will share the story of his rescue," the chief continued, turning his warm yet keen gaze to where the Lost Boys and Caroline sat.

"Caroline was the one to find him in the first place," Nibs spoke up, causing all eyes to focus on Caroline.

"Well, I'm afraid I'm not much of a storyteller," Caroline said, she could feel the color rising in her cheeks. Still, it made sense to share the story with the boy's people so she knew she should at least try. "I was flying over the jungle when I noticed him. He really was making a valiant effort, trekking through the forest. But then I noticed the pirates and that they were headed straight for where he was. They were not being all that subtle, so I suppose he would have heard them coming on his own soon after but I was not really thinking about that at the time." Caroline added, remembering that the reason the boy had been out in the first place was because he wanted to prove he was ready to join the hunting party. So she wanted to make sure she did not make him sound completely incapable. Making it sound like he was in dire need of rescuing would risk embarrassing cause him to make another attempt at proving himself. "Anyway, I just swooped down and grabbed him. All I could think about was getting away from those awful pirates- you see I'd seen how terrible they were when I first arrived here with Peter. But that's beside the point. As we were flying away from them, I noticed the Lost Boys," Caroline gestured vaguely to the others sitting around her. "So I landed, wanting to warn them that the pirates were headed right for them. But then the pirates caught up with us so there was nothing left to do but fend them off." With that Caroline trailed off, glancing around at the others. Everything happened so fast during the battle she honestly was not sure she could recount it in detail.

Peter lost no time in seizing the opportunity to regale everyone with this latest adventure. He stood up and began describing the battle, with particular emphasis on his own part. He even took to the air, demonstrating the different maneuverers he had used against the pirates. Despite having been there herself, Caroline felt herself being drawn into the suspense of the story. It was not so much that Peter was a grand storyteller, he explained things rather simply and spoke little about what was happening to the others unless it had caught his attention for some reason. But he had such enthusiasm that it was rather contagious.

As the story continued Caroline's gaze began to drift to the people around her. She had, after all, witnessed the battle for herself. True things had happened too quickly for her to have taken in every detail she still already had the basic idea of what happened. The villagers however, had not had the benefit of seeing for themselves and so were giving Peter their full attention. Caroline could not help but smile as Peter's voice drifted around the circle. It really had been quite the adventure. Her smile faltered however, when she saw Wild Wind and his family.

His mother had her arms wrapped tightly around him, her eyes wide with concern. Even his father and brother seemed tense as Peter spoke of the gunshots echoing through the jungle. As the story finished and Peter slowly floated down to the ground the family seemed to relax a bit, though his mother still held him close.

"I speak for Wild Wind's family as well as the entire tribe," the chief began, "when I offer the Lost Boys and Girl our great thanks."

At this everyone present gave a cheer and a new serving of food was brought out. Caroline however, found her mind drifting to the sight of a woman in a dark dress. Her pale fingers reached out to a painting, gently tracing face of a boy. At first the vision just seemed strange and a bit fuzzy. However, a few moments later she suddenly realized it was her own mother she was remembering. Caroline had been only five years old when she stumbled upon her mother looking at the portrait with Peter. Her parents had told her about her missing brother some time before that but it seemed seeing her mother's face as she looked at the painting was the first moment Caroline understood what it really meant for her parents to have lost their child. And now, Caroline had to close her eyes and concentrate with all her might just to recall the details of her mother's face. Somehow though, she could still sense the pain that face had held, the same that Wild Wind's parents must have worn while he was gone. Blue eyes opened and shifted to the little family. But the Pan's never got this reunion. Mrs. Pan had to make due with her fingers on pain and canvas instead of wrapping her arms around her son's shoulders.

"Are you alright, Caroline," Peter's voice broke her out of her thoughts. Blinking she focused on the curly haired boy, stuck as she noticed that he wore the same expression her father did when he thought Caroline was not feeling well. "You look a bit peaky."

"I'm fine," she replied, giving her brother a forced smile. "Just think I'll get away from the smoke for a bit," she added rising to her feet.

"Alright," Peter said with a nod. "Don't be gone too long, you'll miss all the fun."

"I'll just be a minute," Caroline assured him. The words were barely out before Peter's attention had returned to the celebrations. Caroline slowly made her way away from the center of the village. She knew it would be a bad idea to venture beyond it's borders but luckily the village was wide enough that she was able to find a quiet place. She could still hear the sound of instruments as some of the musicians decided to forego a second course to play and the chatter of many conversations. However she turned herself to face away from the direction of the festivities, instead looking out at the setting sun and brilliant colors that streaked across the sky. The sunsets of Neverland had even more colors than any she had seen in London or even the countryside trips. Caroline felt herself relaxing as she watched the clouds drift by through the sea of color. Unconsciously, Caroline's hand reached for the locket around her neck, idly running her fingers over the rounded edges.

"You look like you could use some company." Caroline jumped slightly at the sound of the voice but smiled as she turned to see Jaunty approaching.

"I just needed a bit of quiet to think," she replied, "I don't want to keep you from the party." She frowned slightly. Hadn't someone not wanted to keep her from a party some time ago?

"I can spare a few minutes," Jaunty said, a playful smirk on his lips. His eyes however, held a keenness that seemed to see right through Caroline's assurances. "Wantin' to get away from a crowd's not the same as wanting to be left all alone."

"It's just a bit difficult to get my thoughts in order. I thought stepping aside might help."

"Thinking about your folks?" Jaunty asked, his grin widening at the surprise Caroline knew was evident in her expression. How could he have known that? Before she could ask however, he seemed to guess her thoughts again. "It's always that, or something to do with 'em that's hard to recall. I think it's something about Neverland, it's magic, you know. Your not supposed to think about grown ups and grown up things here so it makes you forget."

"You have trouble remembering your parents as well?" Caroline asked.

"Don't remember anything at all." He gave a small shrug.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Caroline said softly. "Does that mean you've been here a long time?" Jaunty seemed to have thought the matter threw quiet a bit and while she had trouble remembering details Caroline could hardly say she remembered nothing about her family. So it made sense that Jaunty having no memory meant the magic of Neverland had been effecting him for quite awhile.

"Peter's the only one of the boys who've been here longer," he answered. "That's why he forgets almost everything."

"So…did you come here soon after him?" Caroline asked, her earlier concerns fading at the prospect of learning more about her brother's time in the magical place. "What sort of adventures did you have? When did the other boys come along?"

Jaunty gave a slight shrug. "Not really sure, exactly, nobody really keeps track of time here. Except maybe the croc." He added with a chuckle. At Caroline's confused stare he gestured towards a large boulder nearby. "Let's sit down, it's sort of a long story."


	12. 1891: All Children Grow Up

Sorry for the long wait (again) and the chapter is a bit shorter than most of the others but it seemed the best place to break off. Fortunately we're getting closer to the climax of the story so things should pick up a bit more in future chapters. I will do my best to get the next one written sooner but I haven't been having much luck in doing that so far. Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/followed/favorited this story and me. Knowing people are following it is a big help in keeping me motivated, it's just the getting it written down part that keeps delaying me but all your encouragement is what makes me keep trying to do so. As always, I do not own _Peter Pan._ Thank you all again and I hope you enjoy.

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><p>Caroline and Jaunty settled themselves on a log at the edge of the village. "I can't really say exactly how long after Peter I came or when the others came along," Jaunty began. "No one keeps track of time around here. Except maybe the crocodile." He added with a small chuckle. Caroline stared in blankly at the apparent joke she had missed. "Oh, right, you don't know about that. Sorry." He added. "Well, you asked about our adventures and the only ones left to tell it first hand is me and Peter. And he's actually forgotten most of the details."<p>

That statement spurred a few new questions in Caroline's mind but she decided to focus on one thing at a time, which at the moment was the matter of a time keeping crocodile. "Is this the same crocodile you mentioned back when Peter was fighting Captain Hook?" She asked.

"The very same," Jaunty replied with a nod. "See the pirates arrived in Neverland they spotted me and a couple of the other boys fishing from the beach. Before that the mermaids were the only dangerous things that came from the water and they can't do anything if you're on land and not paying any attention to them so we didn't have any real reason to be worried about keeping alert. They anchored the _Jolly Roger_ behind some big rocks and sent a few pirates ashore to sneak up on us. There were too many of 'em for just three of us to handle so I told the others to go get Peter while I tried to hold them off. Thing is, I had never really fought before. I wasn't half bad when a few of us got a mind to play fight but…the pirates, they were different." Jaunty grew quiet for a moment as if he was caught up in the memories of that first real fight. However he quickly pushed the memory aside and continued with his story.

"Well, they ended up dragging me back to the ship. I think Hook…or whatever his name was then –I can't remember what the pirates called him other than 'captain' –told them to take prisoners for information. He was asking all sorts of things about where this place was. From what I gathered the ship got caught in some kind of odd storm or something and suddenly they were here. I told him the island was Neverland since I doubted that would mean anything to him and he might as well call the place by the right name. I was right, he wasn't too happy with that answer." Jaunty made an exaggerated face of frustration. "You're plainly speaking English boy so none of this 'Never-place' nonsense!" He said mimicking what the pirate captain must have sounded like at the time. "What country does that island belong to? Is it English? American? Out with it!"

They both had to laugh as Jaunty finished his imitation. Caroline had not properly met this pirate, and truth be told was not in any real hurry to do so. But she could easily picture how an arrogant grown-up could be so annoyed when faced with a child insisting they were in a place they had never heard or read about.

"Well, I wasn't about to tell him anything more about Neverland so I just let him fume for a bit," Jaunty continued. "Then Peter and the others swooped down out of nowhere and you should have seen the pirates' reaction to a flying boy! A few jumped straight overboard screaming about demons and phantoms. The captain, he was unsettled for sure, but he did a better job of keeping on scowling as if Peter didn't worry him any." For a moment, Jaunty paused, as if trying to recall something. "It's funny, Peter always describes the fight when the crocodile comes up for a new Lost Boy but it changes a little every time. Like I said, I don't think he really remembers much so he makes up whatever's gone fuzzy. But now I can't quite remember what really happened and what Peter's said. I do know Peter seemed to treat it all like a game, teasing the pirates, especially the captain, and joking around. But I remember the looks in their eyes, they weren't playing along like the Indians do when we capture each other. The only thing stopping them from running Peter through or drawing those pistols was the fact that they were not really sure he was mortal or not."

"Sailors have been known to be rather superstitious," Caroline added. "And the storm must have been a magical one to bring them here so they were probably unsettled to begin with."

Jaunty nodded. "Still it was sort of different. The Indians never hurt us but they're not afraid of us. I think it's because they know we are kids even if we never grow up here and Peter can fly. But the pirates didn't care about that, it was just the fear that Peter might be able to curse them or something if they tried anything."

At this Caroline simply nodded. She remembered reading _Treasure Island_ and other stories about pirates over the years, funny how she could barely recall her family yet the stories that filled her childhood remained clear as ever. Some pirates seemed capable of caring for others, not quite repenting their ways but showing mercy here or there, but the majority always seemed like terrifying and bloodthirsty men who would cut down anyone in their way without a second thought.

"Anyway, eventually fighting started," Jaunty continued. "The boys got me loose and Tinkerbell gave me some pixie dust and we all started fighting the pirates. Peter had gotten up on the rail of the ship. I didn't see exactly what happened, but well Peter was fighting with just a dagger against a long sword so he had to be in real close and the captain was swinging wildly. I think it was getting to him that a boy could be so good at sword fighting even while at the disadvantage. There was this really awful scream from the captain, that's what made me look away from my own fight. Peter was sort of crouched but with the dagger up over his head, like maybe he had ducked to avoid a blow while also trying to deflect it. I guess he missed the blade though because that was gone and so was the hand the captain had been holding it with. Before anyone really realized what happened something big hit the side of the ship. We could hear the wood creaking and lots of splashes. The ship started rocking so much Peter almost lost his balance. Would have too, if he couldn't fly. With the pirates panicking and not really paying any attention to us it wasn't any fun anymore so Peter called us to head back to the island. We were up in the air and ready to fly back but just when we were passing over the ship we saw what had caused all the commotion. A huge crocodile was trying to climb up onto the boat." Jaunty held his arms out far apart to emphasizing how large the creature must have been.

Caroline's eyes widened as she tried to imagine this crocodile. She had seen pictures of the animals in books and knew they were not exactly small animals to begin with. However, Jaunty's tone suggested this one was even larger than would be considered normal anywhere else.

"The pirates were completely focused on the beastie," Jaunty continued, "some of the crew were tending to the captain but most were shooting at the crocodile. When that didn't seem to work they just started throwing whatever they could get their hands on. Just as we were flying over I couldn't help but notice this one pirate lugging a big gold clock out of one of the cabins. Real posh thing, the kind that big mansions put on their mantle places. Guess he figured since none of the little stuff was even slowing the crocodile down he went for the biggest thing he could find. Anyway, it looked funny enough that me and the other boys hovered over and watched. When the pirate tossed it over the crocodile had started snapping at them and it opened it's great big mouth just as the clock was falling. It snapped it's mouth shut. It kinda paused for moment. By then other pirates were dropping cannonballs and other heavy stuff over it. It didn't seem too hurt or anything but I guess it decided whatever it wanted wasn't worth all the trouble and swam off. As things settled down we all realized that we could hear a ticking sound. Even now that clock is still working inside the crocodile's belly and tic-tocs loud and clear wherever it goes. After awhile we realized the croc must have gotten Hook's hand, too, and liked it because the thing won't leave him alone. But that ticking always gives it away so the pirates can fend it off."

Caroline hesitated only a few seconds to absorb the story. Neverland really was full of curiosities. Fairies, pirates, mermaids, Indians, and now ticking crocodiles bent on eating a man, and probably big enough to manage it too. But there were other things Jaunty's story had brought up and she found herself less interested in dwelling on Captain Hooks perpetual hunter and more curious about other things.

"You said you're the only Lost Boy _left_ who could tell the story," she said. "Do you mean there were other boys that aren't here anymore?" As soon as she had voiced the question a horrible thought occurred to Caroline. Caroline herself had seen the dangers of Neverland, the mermaids and a glimpse of the pirates viciousness, and now there was this man eating crocodile. "They weren't –"

"No, no! They're all safe. At least they were fine last I saw 'em." Jaunty replied hastily, apparently noticing that Caroline had grown a bit pale and guessing what she was thinking. "They just…left." He continued with a small shrug. "Decided to grow up I guess. No one really talks about it. Peter wasn't happy about any of them and he either avoids talking about them or just doesn't remember. Maybe a little of both."

"They left Neverland?" Caroline asked. "But why? Who would want to leave a place like this?" She continued, gesturing out towards the jungle before him. "I mean…I suppose the pirates and that crocodile you mentioned are a bit concerning. Not to mention the mermaids but, well there's so much fun to be had. And things always turn out right in the end, don't they? Peter took on the whole ship full of pirates and came back alright and none of you have been really hurt, right?"

"Yeah, the fun definitely outweighs the dangers," Jaunty replied, "but sometimes I…um, I mean, they just…I don't know exactly." He fidgeted a bit clearly feeling a little awkward about something as his gaze seemed to flit around without focusing anywhere. "I guess they just decided they wanted something more than Neverland could offer. Something they could only get by growing up."

Caroline frowned thoughtfully at this. She remembered she had come to Neverland thinking it would only be temporary but now as she tried to imagine these past Lost Boys leaving she found it difficult to remember why even she had thought she would bring an end to her adventures here much less why they might make such a decision. "What happened? I mean…did they just wake one day and decide to fly off or did they say anything about what they were going to do?"

"It was a bit different for each of them," Jaunty replied. "Swift didn't give us any warning. Least not that we noticed, anyway. He had been here even before me. One day Peter decided to go on an adventure away from Neverland, same as he did when he wound up finding you. And Swift said he wanted to come along too. Nobody thought much of it, Peter usually went by himself but there'd been a couple of times when one or two of us went along. Only, when Peter came back the twins were with him, but no Swift. He'd come back with new people before that, Slightly came some time between Swift and me, then after me was Hat. But it was the first time someone who went with him didn't come back too. When we asked what happened Peter said something about Swift discovering some schoolhouse. We didn't press for too many details since he seemed so bothered. I tried asking a few days later but by then it was like he didn't even remember another boy had been in the group. It was awhile after that, a couple more of the other boys had come along," he added nodding back toward the village. "Then one day Tipps started talking about how it'd be nice to have a proper family, a mother and father maybe some siblings, too. Hat had always been close to him so when all that talk turned into announcing that Tipps wanted to leave Neverland it wasn't too surprising that he wanted to go as well."

Caroline remained quiet as Jaunty finished his story. She supposed the boys must have had their reasons for leaving. Swift perhaps wanting to learn more and the other two wanting parents to look after them but Caroline found herself wondering still how they could give up the thrill that Neverland seemed to offer. Before she could think of anything else though there was a soft ringing sound from behind them. Caroline and Jaunty both turned to see a little light drawing near them.

"Hello, Tinkerbell," Caroline greeted as the fairy came to hover near them. Tinkerbell made a few more chimes gesturing over to the center of the village.

"I think we're at risk of missing out on the fun." Jaunty said, grinning as the fairy nodded to show that was the basic idea.

"Well, then we'd best get back," Caroline replied instantly pushing thoughts of the past Lost Boys aside in favor of wondering what new aspects of the natives celebrations she might get to see.


	13. 1891: Distant Melody

The children remained in the village eating, dancing, and listening to the natives stories and recounting the Lost Boys various adventures for what seemed like endless time. But eventually they all realized how late the hour was becoming as a bright full moon rose higher and higher above the surrounding trees. The reunited family offered Caroline and the boys their thanks one last time and took their leave from the party. Slowly other families began bidding each other good night.

"Lost Boys should be getting some sleep," the chief said, approaching the group as they waved good night to the native children that had been teaching them one of their people's dances before their parents called them to their homes.

"Goodness, it really is quite late," Caroline commented glancing up towards the moon. "Thank you for all your hospitality," she added almost automatically after. A moment later she realized she could barely remember the names of people who would have hosted parties that she had attended yet the manners her parents had taught her seemed to have become simple habit.

Despite a number of the boys' protestations that they were not the least bit sleepy, they had to concede that there would not be much fun to be had in the village once it's inhabitants had all turned in for the night. So, they made their way through the jungle towards the home under the ground. While the excitement of the party had kept Caroline awake the walk through the jungle proved quite the calming experience. They flew a few feet above the ground so as not to draw the attention of any wild animals that might have been making their evening hunts and arrived at the grove without any trouble from the quiet night. As Caroline slid down the chute into the cozy little home she did her best to stifle a small yawn and thought she caught the other boys doing the same thing.

"They sure know how to throw a party," Slightly commented while rubbing his eyes.

"A little change from playing at battles," Curly added, utterly failing to cover up a yawn with the words.

"I thought you only battled with the pirates," Caroline replied, pausing as she began arranging the blankets for her bedding.

"Oh it's quite different. With the Indians we just have a little row now and then, hardly anybody gets so much as a scratch though," Nibbs chimed in, plopping himself on the middle of the boys' bed. "It's all in fun with them."

"Fun with the pirates too," Peter added. "But with them the battle's not over 'till they're chased off instead of both sides just agreeing on who won or lost after awhile." Not surprisingly, Peter seemed to have retained the most energy of the children, floating about the room with Tinkerbell flitting. But watching as the other boys sprawled themselves on the large bed and Caroline was nestled under her own blankets his resolve seemed to be wavering. Soon enough he slowly flew over to the bed settling himself on the end as Tinkerbell made her way to the wall where her little room resided.

Caroline remained awake long enough to bid the others a good night before she felt her mind drifting off to sleep. She dreamed of the adventures she had experienced so far, her mind adding elements from the stories the Lost Boys had told her of their own games and discoveries in Neverland. She imagined herself soaring over the beaches, catching glimpses of the mermaid's scales sparkling as they swam along the surface. A great wave crashed, sending a wide spray of water droplets that obscured her vision for a moment and suddenly she was deep in cavern somewhere in the jungle. She made her way through the shadowed and winding passages until sunlight shimmered ahead of her. While previously she hurried towards it, her bare feet padding gently against the smooth stone floor as an opening came into view. She approached it but did not exit the cavern, unwilling to disrupt the sight that awaited her just outside. A small clearing framed by a circle of little Never Mushrooms with wild flowers giving off a soft sweet scent and within the circle fairies danced and twirled gracefully through the air while others sat on the mushrooms creating the most enchanting music. She had only watched the scene for what felt like a few seconds when muffled cries echoed from the cavern around her. The image of the fairies vanished and suddenly Caroline was lying down somewhere rather dark with soft material all around her.

It took a moment for the girl to realize she was no longer in the dream but had awoken. The continued sounds of distress offered a hint of what had drawn her out of her little dreamed adventure and she turned towards the source. Slowly her eyes focused on the dark shape that was the larger bed. Caroline tossed her blankets aside and quietly moved towards the bed and, once near enough to see relatively clearly in the faint moonlight that crept in from a few roots above, she quickly determined the source.

Peter lay on his side, his fingers clutching at the fabric of the blanket and his eyes were squeezed tight. Every so often he would give a small cry of distress. Clearly he was caught up in a frightful dream of some sort. Caroline touched his shoulder giving him a small shake but to no avail, he remained deep in sleep and quite caught up in whatever haunted his dream. She dearly wished to comfort him and tried to think of something. Peter gave another cry just as a thought struck Caroline of what someone did long ago when they checked in on her as she tossed and turned in troubled sleep.

She gently brushed her fingertips across her brother's forehead, slowly humming a melody. As she hummed, the fog surrounding those distant memories began to clear and a sweet voice filled her head reminding her of the words that went along with the melody.

"My child, my very own,  
>Don't be afraid, you're not alone<br>Sleep until the dawn  
>For all is well<p>

The time has come to go to bed

And let fine dreams fill your head

I will be here all through the night

To greet you, my dear, at morning's light

My child, my very own,  
>Don't be afraid, you're not alone<br>Sleep until the dawn  
>For all is well<p>

The moon and stars watch from the sky

The night wind whispers a lullaby

So lay down and rest without fear

I will keep you safe, I'll be here

My child, my very own,  
>Don't be afraid, you're not alone<br>Sleep until the dawn  
>For all is well"<p>

As Caroline sang, Peter began to relax somewhat. His fingers loosened their grip on the blankets and the sounds of distress seemed to become fewer with more time between them. She continued to hum for a little longer after the last verse was finished until she was sure Peter's cries had ceased completely. Now his face appeared tranquil and calm as the creases in his brow smoothed out and his lips parted slightly as if caught in the laughter he was usually so full of. Caroline smiled, unsure whether the lullaby had actually worked or if the nightmare had simply passed on its own but still pleased to see her brother was no longer in such distress. Vaguely she wondered what sort of dream it was to torment him so, but resigned herself to the fact that it would likely remain a mystery. If Peter needed to talk about it she would gladly be there for him, but she thought it more likely that he would simply wish to forget it altogether.

Taking one more moment to be sure Peter and the others were still asleep and that the dream was not going to return, Caroline turned and made her way back to her own bed. She had not noticed the chill of the night air until she was once again nestled in the warmth of the blankets. However, despite how readily her body embraced the comfortable bed, ready for sleep, her mind refused to settle. The lullaby floated through her mind, an accompaniment to the foggy images that swirled behind her closed eyes.

A woman with sandy hair tied up in a bun with gently curling locks falling over her shoulders. A man with bright blue eyes that always seemed so sad. Caroline rolled over to her other side as that sadness sparked an odd feeling of guilt she could not quite identify. Suddenly the faces of her parents, that had seemed so elusive and, if she was honest with herself, unimportant since she had settled into life in Neverland were crystal clear in her mind as she thought she could almost hear her mother's voice echoing the same verses Caroline had just sung. How could she have thought so little of them? And now that she was considering her parents she found herself wondering what they must be thinking since discovering her bed empty? She found she was not even sure how long she had been gone for, the days passing so packed with fun and one adventure following right after another all the days seemed indistinct from one another.

Caroline tried to push the thoughts away but every time she closed her eyes glimpses of those faces and others flashed in her mind. She lay in her little makeshift bed for nearly half an hour tossing and turning before her weariness finally overcame the memories and she drifted into an uneasy sleep full of familiar voices speaking familiar warnings of 'don't wander off,' and 'keep the window closed' accompanied broken flashes of moments she could barely identify before it was replaced with a new scene.


End file.
